What does “confidential” mean when saying contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and confidential?
Confidentiality is a fundamental principle of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988 Lifeline) and so is transparency. This statement will introduce you to what information we collect from you, how we protect your information, and how we use and share that information. You do not have to share any personal information with the 988 Lifeline about who you are or where you are to receive support.
Please note that confidential and anonymous are not the same. During your contact with the 988 Lifeline, you may voluntarily share information about yourself that could identify you and that information may be documented in notes about your conversation.
Information We Collect
The vast majority of the information that we collect about you is what you tell us, whether that is through a phone conversation, a series of text messages, or a chat session. When you are connected to a counselor, that person will take notes on the conversation. This means that any information you share in a conversation may be documented, along with the counselor’s impressions and the steps they took to help you. We will typically receive the phone number you call or text from or the IP address of the device you are using for a chat session. This does not mean that we know where you are. An IP address does not represent where you are located and the 988 Lifeline does not receive pinpoint location information associated with each call.
How We Use and Share this Information
We primarily use the information in our system at the aggregate level for overall reporting and evaluation. We may use identifiable information for quality improvement or when we need to communicate with emergency services. Because the 988 Lifeline is a network of state-run and local-run crisis centers, the 988 Lifeline network administrator, Vibrant Emotional Health (Vibrant), has requirements in our agreements that require states and centers to adhere to federal and state laws and the 988 Lifeline privacy expectations.
The 988 Lifeline will not share identifiable information about callers/chatters/texters outside of the 988 Lifeline without documented verbal or written consent from the person seeking help, except in the rare cases where there is imminent risk of harm to the person or to someone else, or where providing the information is otherwise required by law. Some contact centers share information to support coordination of care or Medicaid or insurance payment unless you specifically request this not be shared.
If the 988 Lifeline Network Administrator, Vibrant, or a contact center receives a valid warrant from law enforcement or a court order, our expectation is that everyone involved in the 988 Lifeline will follow the law.
Vibrant sets baseline privacy and security standards for network contact centers through a network agreement. All contact centers are independent organizations that decide their own privacy and security policies. To learn more about a specific center’s policy, you will need to look at that center’s website. See our 988 contact center list.
How We Protect this Information
The data platform that Vibrant makes available to each contact center treats all communications as highly sensitive personal information and is secured according to the HIPAA Security Rule. Vibrant sets baseline privacy and security standards for network contact centers through a network agreement. All contact centers are independent organizations that decide their own privacy and security policies.
We encourage local contact centers to use our technology platform for several reasons, including the security measures involved.