WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The NC Department of Health and Human Services is set to launch its new Statewide Peer Warmline on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

The phone line will work together with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, giving callers the option to talk with a peer support specialist.

“Peer Support Specialists (or “peers”) are people living in recovery with mental illness and/or substance use disorder who provide support to others who can benefit from their lived experience,” a NCDHHS announcement states.

You can talk to a peer on the warmline anytime, 24/7, by calling 1-855-PEERS NC (855-733-7762) or by choosing the option when calling 988. You can also text 988 or chat online here. Spanish-speaking crisis counselors can be reached by calling 988 and pressing option 2, texting “AYUDA” to 988 or by chatting online here.

The program is being run by Promise Resource Network, which is a peer-run organization in Mecklenburg County.

“When you’re in a tough spot, sometimes the best person to talk with is a person who has had similar experiences,” said NCDHHS Secretary Kody H. Kinsley in the announcement. “The Peer Warmline expands our behavioral health crisis system in North Carolina toward the goal of meeting people where they are and helping prevent crises in the first place.”

NCDHHS data found that over 40 percent of 988 callers are repeat callers who are helped by being able to talk to someone, and the department says the warmline enhances 988′s ability to help these people.

“Warmlines have also been shown to improve outcomes for people in crisis by reducing hospitalizations and emergency department visits, reducing the recurrence of behavioral health symptoms, and increasing communication and collaboration between clinical care teams, individuals in crisis and their families,” the announcement continues.

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