Crisis Connection (612-379-6363), a mental health hotline serving the entirety of Minnesota, announced it would be forced to close its doors. The hotline served 20,000 people a year for 50 years, an astounding 1,000,000 people overall, roughly.

However, it appears that the hotline has been saved! For now, at least. The Minnesota Department of Health has said that due to addiction and rising suicide rates, the hotline was deemed incredibly necessary and would receive state funding at least until the end of September.

Canvas Health, the nonprofit operating the hotline, has had some financial difficulties in recent years. Something to the tune of $1 million which has, regrettably, forced them to announce the shut down of the statewide service.

That combined with a lack of funding from the state and they had had to divert their resources to other programs. While saved for now, there is always the chance the hotline will eventually lose its funding and be forced, in actuality this time, to officially close.

Luckily, there are other answers if this does come to pass. There is still the national suicide hotline: 1-800-273-TALK, but of course this doesn't address all mental health issues of urgent importance. Moreover they cannot help in the way the MN hotline could, by directing the caller to resources in their area. But there is yet another answer: each county has their own hotlines (which I will list below, pulled directly from mn.gov).

These are both nonspecific when it comes to mental health emergencies and they have resources that are definitely within the caller's general vicinity. However, these hotlines mean sifting through countless numbers to find the one relevant to you. More tedious than a single number for the entire state, making it that much more difficult for residents to find the help they need. However, needs must.

I, in my own way, will try to ease the difficulty a little, just in case, by providing the numbers. Of course, this situation isn't ideal for those who require these services, but there is a comfort in knowing that there are still a multitude of 24/7 hotlines available to help.

And, awaiting the verdict at the end of September, but at least for now, one needing a hotline can consider the pros and cons of a statewide v. countywide hotline and make the choice that is right for them.

I know how important getting the help and support needed to improve mental health is, so without further adieu, here are the county numbers, pulled from the official website of the government of Minnesota.

Warning: this is a huge list.

I hope this made someone's day a little easier, best of luck!