988 Hotline Number For Mental Health Crisis Available Beginning Saturday

A new national three-number hotline is going into service tomorrow, July 16.

It’s the free 988 hotline for people in a mental health crisis.

9-8-8 is a direct line to trained National Suicide Prevention Lifeline counselors.

Today, an estimated 8% of all calls to 9-1-1 are related to a mental health crisis, according to data from Vibrant Emotional Health.

9-8-8 will provide an easy-to-remember three-digit number individuals can call to receive the right mental health crisis support.

Some of its key features include:

Connecting a person in a mental health crisis to a trained counselor, who can address their immediate needs and help connect them to ongoing care.

• Reducing healthcare spending with more cost-effective early intervention.
• Reducing the use of law enforcement, public health, and other safety resources.
• Meeting the growing need for crisis intervention.
• Helping end stigma toward those seeking or accessing mental healthcare.

Again, the 9-8-8 hotline will be operational starting Saturday.