According to USA Today (7/16, Bote), “months after announcing a proposal to implement a three-digit suicide prevention hotline, the FCC” has given its approval to 988. It will take two years to implement the number, “as telecom and voice service companies will be mandated to have a 988 hotline by July 16, 2022.”

CNN (7/16, Stracqualursi) reports that people who currently want to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have to dial 1-800-273-TALK (8255). But, “even after 988 is active, callers will still be able to reach the hotline through the original 10-digit number.”

Related Links:

— “FCC unanimously approves 988 as new three-digit suicide prevention hotline, “Joshua Bote, USA TODAY, July 16, 2020

The AP (7/15, Choi) reports, “If you decide to have an alcoholic drink, limiting yourself to one a day is best – whether you’re a man or woman.” This is “the new advice experts are recommending for the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are scheduled to be updated later this year for the first time in five years.” Currently, “the guidelines…say men should limit themselves to two drinks a day, and that women should limit themselves to one.”

Related Links:

— “Men should limit alcohol to 1 drink a day, experts say, “Candice Choi, AP, July 15, 2020

CNN (7/15, LaMotte) reports researchers surveyed caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and found that around a third of people with the disease “have access to a firearm in their home.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “One-third of caregivers say Alzheimer’s patients have access to guns at home, study finds, “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, July 15, 2020

Reuters (7/15, Caspani) reports, “Forty percent of young LGBTQ people in the United States say they have seriously considered suicide over the past 12 months,” and that “figure climbs to more than 50% for transgender and non-binary youth surveyed,” survey data indicated. The 40,000-respondent survey also revealed that 46 percent “of the 40,000 respondents said they wanted psychological or emotional counseling from a professional but were unable to receive it over the course of the past 12 months.” The survey was conducted by the Trevor Project, “a non-profit focused on suicide prevention among youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer including non-binary people, individuals whose gender identity or expression falls outside the categories of male and female.”

Related Links:

— “Survey finds 40% of U.S. LGBTQ youth considered suicide in past year, “Maria Caspani, Reuters, July 15, 2020

The AP (7/15, Johnson) reports according to preliminary data released by the CDC, “nearly 71,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, a new record that predates the COVID-19 crisis, which the White House and many experts believe will drive such deaths even higher.” The AP adds “the trend is driven by fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids, which accounted for 36,500 overdose deaths,” but “deaths involving cocaine and methamphetamine also are rising.”

Politico (7/15, Ehley) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “New peak of 71K US overdose deaths in 2019 dashes hopes, “Carla K. Johnson, AP, July 15, 2020