Stephanie Hepburn is a writer in New Orleans. She is the editor in chief of #CrisisTalk. You can reach her at .
In restaurant lingo, an item is 86’d when it’s out of stock or removed from the menu. The term is also now part of the successful #86TheStigma 988 marketing campaign in Georgia, a collaboration between the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Georgia Restaurant Association and Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit providing emergency assistance for food service workers.
“Restaurant workers have one of the highest rates of suicide among all classes of the workforce,” said Kevin Tanner, the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, adding that the campaign name was a result of a conversation between one of his staff and a restaurant worker.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, food preparation and serving-related occupations account for at least 224 suicides from 2017 to 2021. Rates of overdose are also high in the state and nationwide — last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported drug overdose rates in the U.S. were highest among workers in accommodation and food services, second only to construction.
Launching in March, the #86TheStigma campaign partnered with 40 restaurants and bars across Atlanta and Savannah, reaching well over 2,500 food service workers and more than 50,000 patrons each week. A second round of the campaign engaged 30 additional restaurants and bars in metro areas, expanding its reach by an extra 1,800 food service workers and 45,000 patrons.
The 12-week grassroots effort amplified the visibility of 988 while focusing on a “specific group of workers with a high rate of suicide,” said Tanner. “It was done in a way that spoke to them.” Listening, says Tanner, was the main ingredient, asking workers what would get their attention and help them remember the 988 number. “The campaign was developed from the ground up based on interaction with the people we were trying to serve.” The tailored approach is one the state agency is continuing with construction workers and farmers.
Local artist Sarah Lawrence created #86TheStigma campaign and merchandise designs, using blues — a nod to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s primary color palette — and white. “Working with someone local helped provide connection,” said Tanner. Food service workers wore hats and t-shirts and carried pens featuring the hashtag and 988.
The campaign’s on-the-ground approach also caught the eye of local and national media, which highlighted #86TheStigma and participating restaurants. “The potential reach from the press was close to 60 million people,” he said.
Tanner’s marketing rollout has been thoughtful and deliberate, ensuring the campaigns didn’t overwhelm the state’s behavioral health crisis system. “We had to get it funded and established in Georgia — and we were a little bit ahead of the curve because we already had a crisis and access hotline,” he said. “We were able to build on that experience.”
His 988 marketing approach is data-driven, pulling numbers from the Georgia Crisis and Access Line, which answers local 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline calls, state-wide surveys and suicide data from the Georgia Department of Public Health. “Our sister agency tracks these [death by suicide] numbers in different counties and by job classification,” he said, noting a disproportionate number of 988 calls from rural populations. “We need to make sure we’re marketing in rural parts of Georgia, not just the Atlanta area.”
Monitoring the success of 988 marketing requires baseline figures and ongoing survey tracking, which is why the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities hired Lexicon Strategies, an Atlanta-based public affairs consulting firm, to do 988 statewide market research. The firm previously helped the state develop a comprehensive framework report and strategic plan for opioid settlement funds.
“Surveying and polling overall and then targeting specific areas where you’ve done campaigns is going to measure the difference long term,” said Tanner, adding that while it’s early days when it comes to the state’s broader campaigns, he and his team are already seeing increases in 988 awareness.
Last year’s 988 market research survey revealed only 16 percent of Georgians had heard of 988. The most recent polling in July shows a dramatic uptick, with 84.7 percent now aware of the service. That’s substantially higher than national figures, where 67 percent of respondents to the June NAMI-Ipos poll said they’re aware of 988.
“Over 40 percent of people in Georgia now know what 988 is and can tell you how to use it, so we’ve had a significant increase since July of 2023 on the awareness of 988,” he said, noting that tailored campaigns like #86TheStigma and the state agency’s broader 988 marketing campaigns have had an impact.
The state agency’s mass 988 marketing includes social media, billboards and 988 rollout advertisements featuring Mary Kemp, Georgia’s first lady. There is also a series of public service announcements with Atlanta Braves pitcher Tyler Matzek speaking publicly about his mental health challenges. Matzek has been open about his struggles with anxiety. “I think just talking about it, I think it’s shocking to a lot of people how many people truly deal with anxiety and depression on a day-to-day basis,” Matzek told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May. “We are so fearful of showing that in society. I just hope that I can be like a candle in a dark room that kind of just brings light to a bad situation and hopefully, other people can light their candle, as well. Next thing you know, there’s not a stigma around it anymore.”
Tanner hopes to repeat the #86TheStigma campaign, noting that even better would be having the funding to run it continuously. In the meantime, he and his team are listening — this time to construction workers and farmers. “Construction workers have the highest rate of suicides,” he said, “and farmers are tough — they don’t want to admit they’re not OK.” Last year, he and his team traveled to the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, where they had round table discussions with the farming community on how to break stigma barriers and get the message out on 988. “We’ve done that in several places across the state now, but we kicked it off at the biggest farming event in the Southeast.”
What’s next for Tanner and his team depends on the data. “We’ll continue to monitor the data and let it drive us in the right direction,” he said. “Our goal is to get everyone in Georgia to be able to identify 988 just like they can identify 911.”
