1-800-suicide

The Kristin Brooks Hope Center (KBHC), a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation was founded on May 20,1998 by H. Reese Butler II after the death of his wife, Kristin Brooks Rossell Butler, who tragically became one of the more than 34,000 Americans who died by suicide in 1998. Realizing an urgency in this high profile public health crisis--which for many takes on meaning only when it happens nearby--KBHC was founded by her survivor with funds from the death benefit provided by her employer. Kristin suffered severe post partum psychosis (PPP) after losing her unborn child on December 5 1997. Her struggle with PPP was brought on by the prescription drug Zoloft which resulted in an SSRI syndrome. KBHC is more commonly known as the creator of the first network of suicide hotlines in the United States networked under the easy to remember toll free number 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433).

H. Reese Butler II started the Kristin Brooks Hope Center after he received a check from his wife's employer which was a death benefit amounting to one years salary. The amount was $34,017. Reese decided to donate the money to an organization focused on preventing suicide as a result of post partum depression or psychosis. Upon learning there was no such organization in 1998 he decided donate it to an organization that ran a national suicide hotline for people in crisis. Upon learning that in 1998 there was no national suicide hotline linking the more than 800 community based suicide crisis hotlines he founded the Kristin Brooks Hope Center and began linking those community crisis hotlines through 1-888-SUICIDE(784-2433). 1-888-SUICIDE and1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) were both part of the National Hopeline Network from its activation September 16th 1998 until the FCC temporarily reassigned it in January of 2006. The US Surgeon General David Satcher dedicated 1-888-SUICIDE(784-2433) on May 7 1999 during a press conference organized by KBHC founder, H. Reese Butler II which was held in Senate Dirkson Building. The event was filmed by Dempsey Rice a Brooklyn based filmmaker (Daughter One Productions) for a project she was working on for HBO. The press event wrapped up with Jock Bartley, founding member of Firefall, singing "Call On Me" written for a 1998 compilation CD to benefit the Colorado based Pikes Peak Mental Health Crisis Center. Jock introduced H. Reese Butler II to Jonathan Cain of Journey with the hopes of creating a benefit concert to pay the phone bill for 1-800-SUICIDE(784-2433). The concert took place on November 12, 1999 at the Warfield in San Francisco. It was called "Reason to Live" and featured Firefall as the opening act with Journey headlining. Bev Cobain, cousin to Kurt Cobain author of the book "When Nothing Matters Anymore" was the Master of Ceremonies for the concert.

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