HeartLine

HeartLine, Inc. has been serving Oklahoma since 1971 and provides suicide prevention outreach programs, compassionate listening, information and referral services, and crisis intervention services. Call specialists are available around the clock answering HeartLine’s various helplines, including: 2-1-1, 848-CARE, the Oklahoma Problem Gambling Helpline 1-800-522-4700, and two national suicide prevention lines, 1-800-SUICIDE and 1-800-273-TALK.

HeartLine staffs the state 2-1-1 hotline in 40 counties in central and western Oklahoma, two national suicide prevention lifelines in 76 Oklahoma counties, and the Oklahoma Problem Gambling Helpline for the entire state. In 2010, HeartLine fielded a record 167,455 calls for assistance.

HeartLine’s roots stem from the LifeLine telephone ministry, which originated in Sydney, Australia, in 1963 and grew to a worldwide movement by 1966. In 1967, the program arrived in the United States under the name CONTACT. By the mid-seventies, CONTACT centers were the largest provider of telephone helpline and crisis intervention services in the country.

In 1971, through the hard work and dedication of the mental health and faith communities of central Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City CONTACT Center was opened. In its first year, 100 volunteers were trained, and 8,200 calls were answered.

On January 1st, 2005, the organization was renamed HeartLine and charged with a new, broader mission: Connecting Oklahomans with help, hope, and information 24 hours a day. Today, HeartLine has a service area of over 3.3 million people in the State of Oklahoma through its various programs and services and is a trusted community partner in information referral and crisis intervention.

HeartLine Designations and Awards

In the past three years, HeartLine has worked diligently to increase its ability to serve the community, receiving numerous accolades and designations along the way.

On July 1, 2009, HeartLine added the Oklahoma Problem Gambling Helpline to its services. In partnership with the Oklahoma Association for Problem and Compulsive Gambling, HeartLine brings those addicted to gambling and their families help, hope and information through a call to the 1-800-522-4700 helpline. Though 2-1-1 is administered by HeartLine in 40 counties, HeartLine administers the Problem and Compulsive Gambling Helpline for all of Oklahoma.

HeartLine was selected as one of twenty Oklahoma non-profit organizations to participate in the Sarkeys Foundation’s Oklahoma Institute for Nonprofit Leadership in the summer of 2010. This nationally recognized weekend retreat assists organizations in capacity building and strategic planning and focuses on the primary strategic leadership relationship in any successful non-profit organization, that between the executive director and the board president. The Sarkeys Foundation prides itself on its unique educational approach: pragmatism, practicality, and accessibility.

From February to May 2010, HeartLine participated in the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits’ Standards for Excellence Clinic Series, a customized ethics and accountability training. The training sessions focused on the following areas: mission and program, public accountability, conflict of interest, governing body, human resources, financial and legal, fundraising, and public affairs/public policy. The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits is one of only 10 organizations to be accepted as a replication partner by the national Standards for Excellence Institute.

On March 31st, 2011, the Executive Service Corps of Central Oklahoma (ESCCO) recognized HeartLine as the recipient of its annual Harry Perry Award for Excellence in Non-Profit Management. ESCCO is a group made up of retired professionals who volunteer their time and talents as business management consultants to nonprofit agencies, government entities and school districts. Nomination criteria included completion of an ESCCO consulting project within the past three years and demonstration of excellence in nonprofit management by positively acting on one or more recommendations, achieving enhanced capacity for mission accomplishment, and exhibiting capability for sustained successful operations.

On April 18th, 2011, HeartLine completed its third and final phase of Alliance for Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) accreditation: a detailed onsite review. AIRS is a professional association for information and referral organizations which stipulates 27 best practice standards and assesses more than 200 distinct operational components for accreditation. This rigorous process provides a comprehensive, coordinated framework through which services are provided as well as metrics for quality control. The standards address all aspects of the agency, including service delivery, resource database, reports and measures, cooperative relationships, organizational requirements, and disaster preparedness.

On May 2nd, 2011, HeartLine, Inc. was named the 2011 recipient of the Liberty Bell Award by the Young Lawyers Division of the Oklahoma County Bar Association. The award was bestowed at the OCBA’s annual Law Day Luncheon and is given to non-lawyers or lay organizations that have promoted or supported the legal system. HeartLine was selected in large part due to its referral of 2-1-1 helpline callers seeking legal services. Through HeartLine’s 2-1-1 helpline, callers seeking legal services are referred to Legal Aid, the Oklahoma Bar Association, the Senior Law Resource Center, and other sliding scale legal service organizations.