The Department of Public Health is integrating its hotlines that provide assistance and resources to people dealing with substance use issues and problem gambling, and an official said it could result in having up to 20,000 additional people screened for problem gaming.
As of the start of July, the two helplines are being operated by Health Resources in Action (HRiA). HRiA now is in charge of providing support and referrals for problem gambling, substance use and mental health.
In a slide presented to the Lottery Commission this week, officials said the decision to integrate the helplines was made “based on evidence, data, and the results of a 2019 helpline evaluation” and that the combination “would improve alignment, efficiency, caller experience, and cost effectiveness.”
“We are so excited, after a very competitive procurement process, that we are able to integrate the problem gambling helpline that was traditionally seeing somewhere in the neighborhood of about 400 calls per year, and we’re able to integrate it in the substance use helpline,” Victor Ortiz, director of problem gambling services at DPH’s Office of Problem Gambling Services said during a meeting of the Lottery Commission. “As a result of that integration, we will be able to screen somewhere in the neighborhood of 18,000 to 20,000 substance use callers for problem gambling.”
Ortiz said the helpline will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is available in English and Spanish. The helpline is available at 1-800-327-5050.