In the year since the launch of 988, the U.S. hotline has fielded almost 5 million calls, texts and chats, offering support to people in mental health crises. But officials say more federal and state dollars are needed to build and staff more call centers and meet the anticipated need.
Last July, 988 replaced the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (which had a much longer phone number) with a three-digit number that is easier to remember and dial. The PBS NewsHour’s Nicole Ellis spoke with Colleen Carr, Director of the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention and Ryan Levi, producer for the podcast Tradeoffs. The NewsHour’s Laura Santhanam contributed reporting.
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