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What is a
Warm Line? The Warm Line
is a friendly telephone support line, answered by trained consumers
who can offer support, listen to concerns, and generally understand
the caller's perspective and is willing to listen. The Warm Line
is a non-crisis phone service, which serves as an alternative
to "hot lines" or emergency services.
An Alternative
to Crisis Calls & Hospitalization: Warm lines services have the potential to be a
powerful help in reducing hospitalization. The Triple R Warm
Line will be a community social support and complement the current
behavioral health crisis line. In this age of social isolation,
the phone is proving itself a lifeline for people with mental
illness who are alone or have difficulty connecting with family
or friends. A survey in New Hampshire in 1999 showed that Warm
Lines reduced the use of crisis teams by 60% (NECR, 1999).
Peer Paraprofessionals:
Consumers in recovery
of a mental illness who hold a special desire to help their peers
will man the Triple R Warm Line. A behavioral health supervisor
will provide administrative and clinical support and oversight
to the service. Consumers will be recruited and trained to work
4-hour shifts in teams of two Call Specialist per shift. All
Warm Line Call Specialists will receive 40 hours of specialized
training provided by Triple R staff and outside resources. It
is Triple R's belief that the Warm Line Program will help to
empower consumers to take an active role in their own and others
recovery while achieving employment success.
Warm Line Objectives:
 To
provide the availability of non-crisis person-to-person telephonic
communication to adults disabled by mental illness who feel the
need for such dialogue.
To
decrease the number of non-crisis calls received by the ValueOptions
Crisis Line thus making crisis specialist more available to appropriate
callers.
To
provide an employment opportunity for trained consumers to become
competitively employed.
To
complement current community services such as crisis lines, help
lines, press lines, etc.
Triple R has identified a location
accessible to employees and established appropriate phone lines,
which will be available from 6:00pm to 10:00pm seven days a week.
At least two Call Specialist will be on duty at all times. The
Warm Line will not be answered if called outside operating hours.
The Warm Line service will have the capability of referring in
appropriate calls to appropriate resources. Data regarding utilization
will be collected to evaluate the continued need, improved format,
and future feasibility of the service. The promotion of the warm
line, its availability, phone number, and services offered will
be contained in program brochures and flyers distributed countywide
to locations visited by potential users.
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Triple
R Warm Line (602-347-1100) "For a Friendly Voice"