Carroll County officials push mental health awareness as suicides outpace state average

With Carroll County suicides occurring at nearly twice the state average, community leaders say it is time to start talking openly about mental health. At the October Board of Health meeting, Health Commissioner Kelly Morris reported that a recent suicide fatality review showed 148 suicide-related or mental-health-related 911 calls in the county in 2024. Those numbers, along with recent incidents, highlight a need not only for stronger mental health services but also for greater public awareness of existing support systems. One such resource is 988, the national suicide and crisis lifeline.

According to Natalie Bollon, executive director of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Tuscarawas and Carroll counties, the advantage of calling 988 is that staff are “specifically trained for these behavioral health calls.” She noted that last year there were “a startling number of mental health calls coming into 911.” In each case, law enforcement was required to respond.

By increasing awareness of 988, Bollon hopes residents will reserve 911 for immediate, life-threatening emergencies and instead use 988 when they or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis. Shifting those calls, she said, also helps with suicide prevention efforts.

“If we can reduce the number of calls going into 911 to a different, more appropriate location, then 911 can do their job more easily because there’s less backlog,” Bollon said.

When someone calls 988, they are connected with a trained responder who can help determine whether the caller’s feelings are temporary or signs of a larger problem, identify local resources or simply provide support to help them through a difficult moment. Bollon said she has worked with middle school students dealing with bullying or emotional distress who contacted 988 and received enough support “to dust themselves off and get through the rest of the night, and back to school the next day.”

In addition to being free, confidential, statewide and available 24/7, 988 also connects callers to Mobile Response and Stabilization Services. MRSS is currently available for individuals 20 and under, but Gov. Mike DeWine aims to expand it to adults by July 2026.

Through 988, parents, guardians or schools can request Youth MRSS to help de-escalate a situation involving a child or adolescent. Bollon said situations may include an angry child damaging school property or a parent whose child repeatedly refuses to get up for school. MRSS is available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and dispatches a team within an hour. The team stabilizes the immediate situation and provides up to six weeks of optional wraparound support, free of charge, with the goal of keeping the child in the home and in school.

Bollon said there is “still a lot of stigma related to mental and behavioral health, especially in our rural communities.” But she believes addressing that stigma is essential.

“The only way we are going to make an impact on these suicide deaths in the community is if we show that we care enough to walk alongside you to get help,” she said.

Anyone facing a mental health crisis—or concerned about a friend or family member—can reach 988 by call or text to speak with someone who can provide help and connect them with appropriate resources.