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For more information contact Dan Lester, Executive Director for Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri at dlester@cccnmo.org or (573) 635-7719 or Patricia Cole, Vice President of Communications for Catholic Charities USA at pcole@catholiccharitiesusa.org or (703) 236-6218.

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri (CCCNMO), the charitable services outreach of the Diocese of Jefferson City, has partnered with Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) and technology provider X2AI to provide easy and immediate access to mental health support through a chatbot named Hope.

“X2AI’s unique technology will help individuals build resilience through tough times,” said Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, president and CEO of CCUSA. “Catholic Charities seeks the most innovative solutions available to address the needs in the communities it serves and we are glad our agencies can provide this added benefit to their clients.”

“We are thrilled to be able to bring Hope to everyone who lives in the 38 counties of the Diocese of Jefferson City,” said Dan Lester, executive director of CCCNMO.  “Access to mental health can be a challenge, especially in rural communities, and we believe that Hope is one tool that can really make a difference for our neighbors in need who may be struggling.” 

Built by clinical psychologists, the chatbot connects clients through AI-driven text conversations that are available in both English and Spanish 24 hours a day, 7-days a week. According to X2AI, research studies found, that using the chatbot led to significantly reduced symptoms, on average by 28% for depression, and 18% for anxiety. If warranted, a connection with a Catholic Charities or other licensed therapist can be made. If someone’s response suggests that they are contemplating suicide or are at immediate risk of domestic violence, they will receive an immediate call from a crisis counselor.

“In the past year at X2AI we provided mental health support to hundreds of thousands of people, and de-escalated thousands of suicidal crisis situations. We are honored to partner with Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri to make it possible to offer our service free of charge to the many people in need,” said Michiel Rauws, CEO + Founder of X2AI.

To access the free, confidential Hope service, users can text “Hi” to 1-202-949-7249, or visit https://www.facebook.com/HopeCCUSA, and utilize the start code: CCCNMO.

To support Catholic Charities’ ongoing work, please visit cccnmo.diojeffcity.org/give or send a check payable to “Catholic Charities” to P.O. Box 104626, Jefferson City, MO 65110. To learn more about Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, visit cccnmo.diojeffcity.org. To learn more about Catholic Charities USA, visit catholiccharitiesusa.org.

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Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri (CCCNMO) is committed to our mission of providing care and creating hope. CCCNMO is the social services outreach arm of the Diocese of Jefferson City which provides a range of program and services to those in need in a 38-county service area regardless of faith, culture or situation. Programs include Community Services (Disaster Services, Housing Counseling, and Immigrant Outreach & Hispanic Case Management); Health and Nutrition Services; Refugee Services; Family Immigration Services; and Parish Social Ministries. For more information, visit: https://cccnmo.diojeffcity.org. 

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is the national office for Catholic Charities agencies nationwide. CCUSA’s members provide help and create hope to more than 15 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. To learn more about our work, please visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.