The United States’ first nationwide three-digit health crisis hotline went live on Saturday.
Those experiencing suicidal thoughts or in the midst of a mental crisis can dial 9-8-8 to be connected with a trained mental health counselor.
“The number that you call is (for) therapeutic intervention, unlike 911, which is more of a dispatch center for medical problems,” said Dr. Christine Yu Moutier of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “It really treats mental health on par with physical health, just like we have 911.”
The new hotline will provide free and confidential emotional support to people around the country 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It will build on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a network of over 200 crisis centers that answered 2.4 million calls in 2022. The NSPL lifeline will still be in effect, in addition to the 988 hotline.
“It makes it easier for people in crisis to reach help,” said Kathleen Marchi of Samaritans Inc. Social Services. “A three-digit number becomes a much easier number to remember and know.”
Marchi said as the new number goes live, centers expect case numbers to go up, and that some will likely need more staff and trainers going forward.
“The idea is that all of these centers, working together, and rolling over a call that can’t be answered in one center to the next available center, ensures that folks reach someone quickly,” Marchi said.
The federal government has spent over $280 million to help states create systems that will include mobile mental health crisis teams and emergency mental health centers similar to urgent cares.
One lawmaker who played a large role in bringing the new hotline online was U.S. Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA), who introduced the legislation that led to the 988 hotline’s creation.
“We have increased funding to the states by 18x over last year,” Moulton said. “So we’re doing a lot to bring federal resources to the state, but it is up to the states to ultimately implement this service.”
Moulton, a veteran and former marine who served in Iraq, said he thought his political career was over when he first publicly shared his story of battling post-traumatic stress and seeking treatment. But ever since, he said, it has only strengthened his drive to improve mental healthcare.
“I thought that might end my political career when I shared that story, but instead, it’s helped launch me on a crusade to bring better mental health care to every American,” he said.
Veterans in need of help can dial 988, then “1” to access a subnetwork of counselors who can help them with their specific needs. There are also plans to create a similar extension for those in the LGBTQ community.
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