Mental health agencies add Spanish-speaking hotline

A toll-free support line for Spanish speaking residents has been added by the S.C. Department of Mental Health and S.C. Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services.

Based in Spartanburg, the number, 833-TU-APOYO (882-7696), will be available from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Callers do not need to provide any identification to talk with a support line staffer.

The agencies launched SC-HOPES June 1 to support anyone experiencing a new or worsening mental health or addiction concerns due to COVID-19 or many other current stressors.

SC-HOPES, at 1-844-SC-HOPES, provides callers with general guidance and referrals to providers for counseling and treatment needs.

"Times are difficult for everyone right now, and feeling stressed or uncertain is completely normal," DMH counselor and Tu Apoyo Supervisor Gianella Quinones said in a press release.

"But there are steps we can take to address these feelings. We created this line to ensure that Latinx families can easily connect with resources that will meet their specific needs and get support without having to worry about language fluency."

SC-HOPES staff members recognized the need to add a Spanish-speaking toll-free number for staff members, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Roger Williams, executive director of the Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center.

The SC-HOPES and TU-APOYO toll-free lines are staffed at the Eubanks Center's peer living room location in Spartanburg.

"We are seeing minority communities, communities of color and Latinx, being disproportionately affected by the coronavirus," Williams said Tuesday. "I'm really pleased our staff came forward."

He said the mental health center has been seeing more patients in recent months, but the average length of interaction between patients and staff is down because nearly half of the services are provided by telephone or telehealth video, rather than in-person.

"We urge people to keep social contacts going -- stay in touch with friends and family. Don't distance yourself socially, even if social distancing."

The Department of Mental Health's mission is to support the recovery of those with mental illnesses, giving priority to adults with serious and persistent mental illness, and to children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances.

The agency serves about 100,000 people each year. As the state's public mental health system, it provides outpatient mental health services through a network of 16 community mental health centers and clinics, serving all 46 counties, and psychiatric hospital services through three state hospitals.

The agency also provides long-term care in one community nursing care center and three state veterans' nursing homes.

The Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services is the cabinet agency that is charged with preventing or reducing the negative outcomes of substance use and addictions. It has a system of 32 public agencies that provide prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery services in all 46 counties.

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