FCC designates 988 for suicide prevention hotline
The Federal Communications Commission today adopted rules establishing 988 as the nationwide phone number to connect people experiencing mental health crises to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a network of 163 crisis centers that last year answered more than 2.2 million calls and 100,000 online chats. Under the new rules, telecommunications carriers and one-way Voice over Internet Protocol service providers must direct 988 calls to the existing hotline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), by July 16, 2022. The current lifeline and online chats will stay available during and after the transition.
Related News Articles
Headline
AHA June 27 released the first three of a series of videos highlighting various behavioral health roles and career paths in a hospital or health system, as…
Perspective
Five weeks from now, Congress will begin a five-week district and state work period, with House and Senate members leaving Washington, D.C. from early August…
Headline
Overall health does not fit neatly into individual buckets, which is why today's caregivers are designing treatment plans that integrate behavioral and…
Headline
The House Energy and Commerce Committee June 12 passed AHA-supported legislation during a markup of bills that passed the Health Subcommittee in May. The…
Headline
The AHA praised House and Senate leaders in letters June 12 for reintroducing the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, bipartisan legislation that…
Headline
The AHA June 7 submitted comments on a discussion draft of the Drug Shortage Prevention and Mitigation Act, bipartisan legislation proposing to provide…