Washtenaw County 24/7 helpline

Here’s what happens when you call Washtenaw’s 24/7 hotline for mental health and substance use support

Anyone can call Washtenaw County’s 24/7 mental health and substance use treatment access line at (734) 544-3050. The line is staffed around the clock by mental health experts who ask a series of questions to understand caller needs, then provide callers with the information they request or links to the services they require.

1) Call center staff will ask who needs assistance—the caller, or the caller’s child, parent, grandparent, student, parishioner, patient, or friend. All calls and callers are welcome.

2)  Call center staff need to quickly determine the urgency of the need. This allows them to immediately route crisis calls to the agency’s 24/7 crisis response team, a group of mental health experts, with advanced training in crisis situations, that is available to respond to community needs at any time of the day or night.

3) Staff then asks callers for some basic information about the person who needs assistance, including name, age, and location. This allows hotline staff to begin a confidential health record, which is required for program and service referrals.

To best help callers, staff may also ask about symptoms and mood, history of mental health or substance use concerns, and more. This allows staff to provide relevant information and resources and to refer callers to the community or agency resources they need, such as peer-support specialists, group or individual counseling, or licensed psychiatrists who can prescribe medications.

Call center staff are required to ask about insurance status, but no Washtenaw County resident will be denied service based on insurance status, ability to pay, or immigration status. Callers do not need insurance, citizenship, or money to access mental health or substance use treatment services.

Note: WCCMH staff are trained in non-discriminatory and harm reduction techniques in order to support callers of all identities.