At their July open meeting on Thursday, the five leaders of the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to end 988 as the three-digit number that Americans can dial and be directed to the 24/7 national hotline.
Callers currently reach the hotline by calling the 10-digit number: 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).
But with the FCC vote to adopt a final rule on Thursday, phone service providers will begin the transition process to implement the 988 number across the country by July 16, 2022.
Even after 988 is active, callers will still be able to reach the hotline through the original 10-digit number.
FCC President Ajit Pai and his advocates believe the three-digit number will save more lives, saying it has the echoes of 911.
“My hope is that by establishing a government-endorsed 3-digit dialing code for suicide and mental health, on par with the dialing code 911 that all Americans know for emergencies, we will send a powerful signal that There is nothing shameful in seeking help in times of crisis. It is a sign of strength, not weakness. We will let people know that they are not alone, “Pai said in remarks Thursday before the vote.
Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel regretted that the agency was not “more ambitious” by incorporating the ability to text the number.
“Facing the rise in teen suicide across the country, we must recognize that text messaging is their primary form of communication. Voice service has its benefits, but it is not native to most young people,” he said. Rosenworcel. “I am sorry that today’s decision is anchored in older technologies, and you approve the development of text messaging capabilities with this three-digit hotline. We should have done it here, and I sincerely hope we can do it in the future.”
The Lifeline does not offer a text messaging service, but it does have a chat portal on its website. The FCC said it could review the problem if the lifeline develops a text option.
There are several other text options available, including the Veterans Crisis Line (838255) and the Nonprofit Crisis Text Line (741741).
Voting comes at a critical time for Americans
And in the way the concept for 911 was fueled by societal change, the three-digit number boost for the National Suicide Prevention Line comes when suicide is a growing public health problem.
Americans are currently dealing with various crises, including the coronavirus pandemic, an economic recession linked to the pandemic, civil unrest due to police brutality, which can cause distress and anxiety and contribute to suicide.
Suicide rates are higher among Native American and white populations and higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Military veterans and LGBTQ youth are disproportionately affected by suicide.
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline was launched in 2005 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which reports to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Vibrant Emotional Health, an organization nonprofit mental health.
Calls to the hotline are routed to the nearest crisis center through a network of 150 centers across the country.
In 2018, trained counselors answered more than 2.2 million calls and more than 100,000 online chats, according to SAMHSA.
Calls to the hotline more than doubled in a five-year period, from less than one million in 2012 to more than two million in 2017, the FCC reported.
In 2018, Congress passed and President Donald Trump passed a law directing the FCC to study the use of a three-digit dialing code for the hotline.
FCC staff recommended the 988 number over other options, and in December, federal agency commissioners unanimously approved the three-digit number for the hotline, beginning the regulatory process.
Next steps to implement the new number
Commissioner Michael O’Rielly warned Thursday that the agency must be clear in all of its communications that “deploying 988 will take time and it is not simply a matter of pressing a proverbial switch.”
“Even under the best of circumstances, such transitions can be challenging and lengthy,” O’Rielly said during the agency’s open meeting.
Some telephone companies wanted to extend the number in an “introductory phase”. But Pai said the FCC believes that a “uniform implementation date will minimize the potentially deadly consumer confusion that could result from having 988 available in some, but not all, areas.”
Republican Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado previously said Congress has an “important role” in supporting the hotline and “ensuring that states have the flexibility to make it work,” but efforts have since stalled.
Advocates of number 988, including Project Trevor, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Vibrant Emotional Health, called on Congress to pass the Gardner Bill, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 , which they argue would provide the “financing mechanism, authority, and infrastructure necessary to make 988 available across the country.”
.
