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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, contact Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The new Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has moved from a 10-digit hotline to a 3-digit emergency number 988.
Starting on Saturday, the 24/7 crisis management lifeline is also linked to the veteran crisis line.
“988 is over number, it’s a message: we’re there for you. Through this and other actions, we treat mental health as a priority and for more Americans. We provide critical care to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Seconds Xavier Besera, said in a statement. “There There is still a lot to do. But the important thing is that we launch. 988 will be live. We hope that all governors and all states across the country will play their part in leading this to long-term success. “
All telephone services and text providers across the country are required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to activate 988 by Saturday.
The new three-digit suicide hotline was able to save the “thousands of lives” that sponsored the legislation
The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act approved 988 as a new three-digit number for suicide and mental health crises, signed by then-President Donald Trump after a bipartisan law was passed in 2020.
FCC staff first proposed 988 in a report to Congress in August 2019.
In a Friday release, HHS wrote that the Biden administration increased its investment in 988 lifelines from $ 24 million to $ 432 million.
The funding will be to improve response rates, enhance the ability to meet future demands, and ensure that calls initiated in a state or territory are first routed to a local, regional, or state crisis call center. It included more than $ 100 million in grants to states and territories.
The grant was provided by the American Rescue Program.
“Recent investments in lifelines have already increased the number of phone, chat and text responses, even as the volume increases, but we still experience suicide crises and mental health-related distress without the necessary support. We know that too many people are doing it. ”Miriam E. Delphin Ritmon, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Material Use at HHS and Leader of the Department of Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA). States in his statement. “Over time, 988’s vision is to make additional crisis services available to communities across the country, just as emergency medical services work.”
Sustainable funding is needed.
Federal Reserve to set a three-digit suicide hotline number to save lives
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a network of over 200 state and local call centers.
It is supported by HHS via SAMHSA.
Lifelines have been around since 2005. Last year, Lifeline received 3.6 million calls, chats and texts. This is expected to at least double in the first year after the 988 migration.
The 10-digit lifeline number — 1-800-273-TALK (8255) — will continue to work after July 16th, routing calls to 988 indefinitely. You can also access Veteran Crisis Line using your current phone numbers 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 or by chat or text to 838255.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one person committed suicide every 11 minutes in the United States in 2020. This is the leading cause of death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.