CONTACT Care Line

CONTACT Care Line is East Tennessee’s oldest crisis hotline, answering crisis and other calls for help 365 days a year since November 3, 1973. Founded to address the need for immediate access telephone crisis services, our goal is to provide round-the-clock access for people in need. Through services that emphasize confidential, non-judgmental, and compassionate listening, CONTACT’s staff and trained volunteers alleviate despair, isolation, distress, and suicidal feelings in callers from East Tennessee and beyond.

Contact Care Line provides…

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Calls to 988 from the greater Knoxville area are handled by CONTACT. We are one of 6 centers across the state responding to these crisis calls. CONTACT is also the primary internet chat and text center for Tennessee. And, we are a national backup center, responding to chats and texts from across the country, as well as Spanish phone calls.
• CONTACT Reassurance supports at-risk seniors who live alone or are homebound with little or no caregiver support. By making daily, prearranged reassurance calls to these seniors, we help them maintain their independence.
• Training for the community in active listening, suicide prevention, suicide risk assessment, and mental health awareness.

Why: Contact Care Line exists to minimize human suffering. We are not created to be alone; everyone has worth, and everyone needs someone to talk to.

How: Contact Care Line listens to people with empathy, with confidentiality, and without judgment.