On Saturday, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the state’s health department launched a free mental health hotline for residents who are anxious and stressed out due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The free hotline service launched by the Illinois Department of Human Services is called “Call4Calm.”
This service aims to address and aid mental health issues of families and communities caused by the ongoing health crisis.
Pritzker said the line is not a crisis hotline, “but a source of support.”
He wrote on Twitter, “Although there are reasons to see hope and lots of examples of people helping one another ― all of which should lift us up ― there are also circumstances that may cause you to feel despair, to find yourself swimming in the stress and uncertainty of it all.”
State residents can be connected with a psychological counselor through the hotline just by texting TALK to 552020. Spanish speakers can text HABLAR to 552020.
The residents can use the same number to receive other forms of assistance by texting keywords such as “food,” “shelter,” or “unemployment” to 552020.
Pritzker explained that those who use the free service “will remain completely anonymous.”
At his daily coronavirus briefing, the governor said, “I want to say to all of you: feel all of it. We are living in a deeply unprecedented moment, and holding the emotional ramifications of that inside will only be harder on you. It’s OK to feel, but please know you don’t have to feel it all alone. I want you to know that we’re here to help.”
As of Sunday, Illinois health officials reported more than 20,850 confirmed cases and 720 deaths.
Pritzker said the new cases are “one more piece of evidence” that the state’s coronavirus curve is “stabilizing or bending.”
“The death toll today is lower than it has been in six days,” he added. “Illinois, having been the second state to announce a stay-at-home order, now seems to be reaching a peaking.”
However, the governor expressed concern over reopening Illinois, as the pandemic is nowhere close to being over. Pritzker said he has been discussing with doctors, researchers, economists, and industry leaders to understand how to reopen the state in a way that prevents a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.
