PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — If you are in danger, it is almost automatic to dial 911 for help. The 911 number was started in 1968, and it gets an estimated 240 million calls in the U.S. each year, according to the National Emergency Number Association.
There’s another number, a new one, that everyone should know as well. In July, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The Lifeline connects people to trained counselors from a network of more than 200 call centers. It replaced the old 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline with a simple three-digit number.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data from August — the first full month of operation — shows that people initiated contact with the 988 Lifeline more than 360,000. That’s a 45% increase in overall volume of calls, chats and texts, compared to the same month last year. And the Lifeline answered 216,000 calls, 62,000 chats and 39,900 texts — an increase of more than 50%, 195% and 1,000%, respectively, from August 2021 — according to the data.
This tells us two things: Mental health issues are widespread, and the need for support is great. Fortunately this tool is starting to make a difference in what needs to be an ongoing public health initiative.
KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.