Federal Government Launches National 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

August 18, 2022

In July 2022, the US transitioned the 10-digit toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to become 988, thanks to the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act signed into law in 2020.

The purpose of 988 is to be a 24/7 crisis care center accessible via phone and text to help reach more people in need of mental health resources. The move is part of President Biden’s push to address our nation’s mental health crisis which the US Health and Human Services has identified as a top priority since 2021 and has invested $432 million, up from a previous $24 million, to scale crisis center capacity and ensure all Americans have access to help during mental health crises.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a network of more than 200 state and local call centers supported by the US Health and Human Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Recent investments made in the Lifeline have already resulted in more calls, chats, and texts answered even as volume has increased,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., the HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and leader of SAMHSA. “Over time, the vision for 988 is to have additional crisis services available in communities across the country, much the way emergency medical services work.”

The original National Suicide Prevention Lifeline was launched on January 1, 2005 by the US Substance and Mental Health Services Administration and Vibrant Emotional Health. Vibrant Emotional Health, formerly the Mental Health Association of New York City, has been at the forefront of promoting emotional well-being for 50 years. Together with its partners, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, National Council for Behavioral Health, and Living Works, Inc., Vibrant Emotional Health manages the new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by providing state-of-the-art technology-enabled services, community wellness programs, and advocacy and education work to help build a society in which emotional wellness can be achieved by everyone.

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