One year after the launch of the new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, nearly 5 million contacts have been answered -- and advocates say that, despite lingering challenges, the service is saving lives.
A 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline sign at the entrance to Taft Bridge in Washington is photographed on Feb. 10, 2023.The Biden-Harris administration has funneled nearly $1 billion into building out the lifeline network, including approximately $432 million ahead of the launch to prepare for the expected influx of callers after the transition. Advocates and the government have acknowledged that the previous iteration of the lifeline had been underfunded and understaffed since it began.
Rep. Seth Moulton talks about mental health during a discussion with ABC News and other lawmakers, March 23, 2023.Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told ABC News that she doesn't see staffing as "a challenge that's going to be resolved overnight." As of now, just six states -- California, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, Virginia and Washington -- have implemented cell phone taxes to fund their call centers year over year, while two others, Oregon and Delaware, have bills awaiting their governors' signatures.
Some replaced those bills with appropriations, she said, "but that's money you're going to have to keep going back for, year after year, and that does concern me when thinking about the long term scalability and sustainability of 988 and the crisis continuum of care."Amid efforts to increase staffing, the lifeline has also rolled out some new programs over its first year, including an LGBTQ+ youth line that just became a permanent subnetwork earlier this month.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Nationwide 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline now available in SpanishFederal officials Thursday announced the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline now offers Spanish text and chat services across the country -- with a leading mental health care provider in California saying the move will increase access to 'live-saving services.'
Read more »
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline connects people with the help they needJuly 16 marks one year since the U.S. transitioned to 988, the easy-to-remember, nationwide mental health crisis helpline.
Read more »
Ex-soccer player accused of planning suicide bomb attack acquitted | CNN PoliticsA Tunisian man who the Justice Department accused of working with members of Al Qaeda, including Osama bin Laden, to plot a suicide bomb attack against Americans in Europe was acquitted Friday by a Washington, DC, jury of all charges he faced – a rarity in a terror trial.
Read more »
Two Seniors Dead in Murder-Suicide at NJ Nursing HomeAuthorities say it appears Michael Zaccario, 73, shot his wife Patricia and then himself.
Read more »
What investors need to know about weight loss medicines and suicide riskInvestors could be forgiven if talk of a potential suicide risk associated with a new class of diabetes and weight loss drugs led to skittishness last week.
Read more »
Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill to Tackle Stillbirth CrisisResearch shows as many as 1 in 4 stillbirths may be preventable. But while other wealthy countries have been able to reduce their stillbirth rates, the U.S. has fallen behind.
Read more »