• History of Our Programs
• History of Our Foundation
• Funding and Volunteers

Our History
In April 1970, faculty, staff and students at LSU founded THE PHONE, a 24-hour confidential telephone crisis counseling service, after six students, including the Student Body President, committed suicide in one year. In July 1970 a three-year NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) grant was awarded for development of THE PHONE as a campus-community effort and by October of that same year the need to expand services to the entire community had been clearly demonstrated and two additional lines were added.

By 1974, with federal grants declining the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, Inc. incorporated as a private non-profit agency administered by a Board of Directors made up of a cross-section of the Baton Rouge community. Myron G. Mohr, PhD. who began as director of THE PHONE, was named Executive Director of the Center. Contracts with the state Department of Health and Human Resources (currently known as Health and Hospitals) and LSU were established and both contracts continue to the present time. The LSU funding is unusual in that the students themselves voted a one-dollar per full-time student assessment to show their support of the Center. In 1984 the students voted to increase that assessment to two-dollars per student in response to inflationary demands. This student supported funding source is unique among crisis centers in the country.

In 1977 the Center became the fifth center in the country to be certified by the American Association of Suicidology - the national accrediting body for suicide prevention and crisis intervention centers. In 1980 the Center became a recipient of funding from the Capital Area United Way.
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History of Our Programs

Since 1980 the Center has continued to pursue innovative programming to meet the crisis needs of our community. The Survivors of Suicide program was established to provide bereavement counseling to people who have lost a loved one through suicide. In 1989 the Children's Bereavement Group was established for youngsters 6-12 who have experienced the death of a loved one. In 1998 the LOSS (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors) program was established and in 2000 the ASIST program (a revitalized version of the Suicide Intervention Workshops program that began in 1991) was offered to community gatekeepers. In the year 2000, THE PHONE collaborated on a national level by agreeing to answer statewide calls to the HopeLine Network (1-800-SUICIDE).

In 1999, The Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, Inc. was awarded a 3-year proposal by the Capital Area United Way to administer the United Way Info Line. The center began taking calls January 1, 2000. Please click here to learn more.

In 1987 Sue Kenyon was named Acting Executive Director and Frank Campbell, Ph.D., LCSW, CT. was named Executive Director in June 1989.
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History of Our Foundation
The Crisis Center Foundation was established in June 1989 to receive gifts of cash, property, valuables, and other gifts on behalf of the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, Inc. In 1992 the Center moved into its permanent home on Revere Avenue. This move was made possible in large part through the efforts of the Foundation. The Foundation continues to allocate funding for valuable programs and staffing needs as we reach out to our community.

Funding and Volunteers
As the demand for services increased over the years, it became obvious that the Center had outgrown its first permanent home. In June 2002 the Foundation purchased the Joseph Thomas "Jody" Howell IV Traumatic Loss Center and moved all training and bereavement services to their second location. Click here to find out more.

In over three decades of operation the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, Inc. has effectively and positively touched the lives of tens of thousands of Baton Rougeans and their neighbors in surrounding communities. Through the efforts of the many volunteers, the dedicated staff, and community support, the Center will continue to meet the many crisis needs of our community into the twenty-first century.

To donate, please call 225-924-1431 or click here to find out more. To volunteer, please click here.
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FOR IMMEDIATE HELP
call THE PHONE
24 Hour Crisis Line
(225) 924-3900
or (800) 437-0303
LSU - (225) 924-LSU1

TO GIVE OR GET HELP
DIAL 2-1-1
(225) 923-2114
or (877) 923-2114

Information & Referrals
7 days a week