Oregon Partnership/Lines for Life Annual Report Reaching out to Save Lives
Welcome to Oregon Partnership/Lines for Life Helping to save lives through crisis intervention, education and advocacy We are dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide because they profoundly affect so many families in our society. Oregon Partnership/Lines for Life believes accessibility to substance abuse prevention, crisis intervention and treatment referral services are key building blocks of healthy families and communities. It s why we provide drug and alcohol awareness training, prevention programs and 24-hour crisis lines. The Lines for Life staff work closely with business and elected leaders, schools, parents, treatment professionals, law enforcement and the military. We operate six, 24-hour crisis lines which receive over 40,000 calls a year. We educate and engage children and teens through innovative, evidence-based strategies. We lead public policy work on underage drinking, prescription drug abuse, and suicide; we advise state and national lawmakers on legislation relating to youth access to alcohol and reducing illegal drug use.
A Letter from CEO These are exciting, yet challenging times for Oregon Partnership/Lines for Life. Lines for Life staff and trained counselors are receiving over 40,000 calls annually to our 24-hour crisis lines, as well as a projected 8,000 militaryrelated calls. Over half of those calls are suicide-related. The exciting news is that our crisis intervention specialists are able to de-escalate over 98 percent of the suicide calls they receive without needing emergency personnel to perform a rescue. Our Military Helpline is particularly effective in helping our servicemen and women overcome suicidal thoughts and self-harm. The expertise of the veterans who answer the calls, coupled with true anonymity for the callers, is what makes the Military Helpline so effective. We ve also seen an increase in substance abuse related calls, with prescription drug abuse surging into an epidemic. It s inspiring to know that people do recover from substance abuse and go on to live successful lives. The challenge is funding this life-saving work. We find a growing need for our services in preventing substance abuse and suicide in this hard economic time despite the fact that government funding has been cut back substantially. We invite you to join us in this life-saving work. Judy Cushing CEO From top to bottom: A call is answered in the Crisis Lines. Caitlin, a suicide survivor and volunteer on the Crisis Lines, speaks of hope available through our 24-hour Suicide Lifeline at a joint press conference with Portland Fire and Rescue and the Portland Police Bureau.
Crisis intervention The Lines for Life crisis intervention specialists are there for those in immediate need of our life-saving services. Our masters level supervisors and highly trained volunteers listen carefully to safely guide thousands of people through substance abuse and suicide emergencies every year. Their efforts pay off - not only in positive outcomes, but in helping relieve the strain on the hospitals and social services. 19,000 of the more than 40,000 calls we receive every year are suiciderelated. Suicide is preventable. The expertise of the crisis intervention specialists enables them to de-escalate over 98 percent of those calls. Lines for Life follows up with every caller - a key strategy in keeping them safe. Lines for Life was awarded a grant to develop a textmessaging option for its Suicide Lifeline and Youthline. We want to be accessible to everyone, and offering a texting option is critical. In one month alone, Youthline received over 700 text messages. Leslie Storm, Crisis Lines Clinical Director We firmly believe that there is hope for recovery from alcohol and substance addiction. 24/7 Lines for Life makes sure callers are connected with the most effective resource for their specific challenge. 888-457-4838 militaryhelpline.org Some soldiers returning home after multiple deployments were struggling with challenges including abuse of alcohol and other substances, family problems, anger issues, post traumatic stress and thoughts of suicide. Concern about career advancement combined with the fear of being perceived as weak prevented many from reaching out for help. At the request of the Oregon National Guard in 2010, we launched the anonymous Military Helpline, answered by veterans and others trained in military culture, who are taught to listen, engage the caller and not to judge them. Operating 24/7/365, we have helped hundreds find solutions to problems that may have overwhelmed them. Shame keeps too many veterans from seeking help. Defense Department, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki More U.S. soldiers have killed themselves than have died in the Afghan War. Department of Defense, 2012 Our military members have served us well. Now it s time for us to help them.
Education + Training Oregon Partnership/Lines for Life s education department harnesses the power of parents and teens to equip youth to make healthy choices for life. We offer year-round training programs that offer age-appropriate training to all levels of classrooms. Our youth and the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) joined forces on a film project that provided law enforcement officers the opportunity to teach youth about the faces of addiction and the dangers of substance abuse in real world settings. Students experienced the challenges and perceptions of their own neighborhoods, built critical partnerships with businesses and law enforcement, and created films to inform their communities about challenges and solutions. I have friends and family who didn t make it through high school because of alcohol and weed. The youth work we do at OP (Lines for Life) has helped me understand how staying in school keeps teens safe. Youthlink Member The team also launched a one-on-one outreach strategy connecting with five new school leadership groups as well as the daily chat and telephone support by teens, for teens working through personal challenges. Youth Programming Youth play a vital role in our efforts to prevent substance abuse. Our Youth Advisory Council lends a teen perspective to community outreach, media campaigns, classroom presentations, youth mentoring, public testimony and special events. The Youthline is a free and confidential teen-to-teen crisis line offering help and resources for teens and their families. Operating weekday afternoons and evenings, we offer a safe place for teens to be heard and supported without being judged. Clockwise, from top to bottom: Middle school students identify and paint positive and negative influences on a canvas as part of the Above the Influence (ATI) Mural Project. The Youth Mentoring program helps teens build strong peer-to-peer and peer-to-adult relationships, while also promoting positive self-image and attitude. Estacada High School students participate in the ATI Tag It project, identifying their individual and local influences.
Advocacy Working closely with local and state leaders, as well as our congressional delegation, Lines for Life builds public awareness on cutting edge issues related to substance abuse and suicide, and promotes policies that lead to prevention and enhanced outcomes. After the success of the Prescription Drug Summit in 2010, Lines for Life helped ocal leaders with regional summits throughout the state. Seeing an epidemic of prescription opioid drug abuse, we sponsored day long Prescription Drug Summits in Portland and Medford. Leaders from the public and private sectors gathered to look at the scope of the problem and then brainstormed solutions. With bullying reaching tragic proportions for young people, we have stepped up our efforts with students, parents, teachers and the public. We team with coalitions, nonprofits, parents and youth to spread the message that addiction is a treatable illness, and that suicide can be prevented. Join with us! When it comes to (substance abuse) prevention and education... Oregon Partnership (Lines for Life) is the most effective organization I ve seen in America. From left to right: Students from one of Oregon Partnership s youth programs join Lines for Life staff and volunteers at the 2012 National Alliance on Mental Illness awareness walk. Educators participate in the Metro Portland Educator s RxSummit: Reaching the Next Generation. Former White House Drug Czar and NBC-TV analyst General Barry McCaffrey (Pictured below)
Statement of Financial Activities Year Ending June 30, 2011 Contracts + Grants 63 % Revenue Board of Directors Other 1 % 8 % Donated Services & Materials 22 % Contributions 6 % Dan McMillan Board President, The Standard Lon Getlin Board Vice President Chris Gibson Board Treasurer, Oregon HIDTA Program Anne Naito-Campbell Board Secretary, Business and Community Development Julie Elkins Past Board President, Zipse Elkins & Mitchell Stephanie Dreyfuss Member at Large, Providence Health Plans Jim Ferraris Member at Large, Salem Police Department Steve Glenn Regence/Cambria John Hart Hart Wagner LLP Dan Heine The Bank of Oswego Roy Jay ARAMARK/ Giacometti Partners Dr. Loren Jenkins Kaiser Permanente NW Doug Lyons Member at Large Clere Consulting Patrick McCreery KPTV / KPDX / Meredith Corporation Nathan Sasaki Apex Real Estate Partners Judge Nan Waller Multnomah County Circuit Court Marci Lematta Walsh The Lematta Foundation Brigadier General Bruce Prunk (Senior Advisor) Oregon Air National Guard Dr. Marvin Seppala (Advisor) Hazelden - Minnesota Judy Cushing Oregon Partnership Lines for Life Contracts + Grants 1,671,145 Contributions 148,592 Donated Services + Materials 582,763 Special Events net of direct costs 223,568 Other Program Revenue 26,364 TOTAL REVENUES $2,652,432 3 % Fundraising 8 % Education + Training 25 % Management 9 % Expenses Crisis Services 55 % Crisis Services 1,452,772 Education + Training 639,212 Public Policy, Advocacy + Media 75,967 Fundraising 212,591 Management 242,653 TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSE $2,623,195
SUICIDE LIFELINE 800-273-8255 ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE HELPLINE 800-923-4357 Military Helpline 888-457-4838 militaryhelpline.org Youthline 877-968-8491 oregonyouthline.org Linea de Ayuda 877-515-7848 VA Crisis Line 800-273-8255 and Press 1 Oregon Partnership / Lines for Life Preventing Substance Abuse and Suicide 5100 SW Macadam Avenue, Suite 400 Portland, Oregon 97239 info@linesforlife.org p 503.244.5211 f 503.244.5506 www.linesforlife.org