ABC News (6/19, Cahan) reports, “Since its launch in July 2022, the new” nationwide 988 suicide hotline has “fielded over two million calls from people in crisis – 45% more than the 10-digit hotline over the same period in the previous year, according to data from Vibrant Emotional Health, the organization appointed by the federal government to oversee the line.” Now, nearly “one year after the crisis line’s rollout – and after nearly one billion dollars of federal investment – the majority of states are still struggling to ensure that their citizens’ calls get answered locally.” While “unanswered calls roll over to national backup centers…federal officials acknowledge these centers are generally less equipped to provide the local services callers may need.”
Related Links:
— “New national suicide lifeline struggling to keep up with volume, advocates say,” Eli Cahan, ABC News, June 19 , 2023