Sept. 25 (UPI) — The nation’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will route cellular calls to local contact centers based on callers’ locations instead of area codes using geo-routing.
The Federal Communications Commission last week began upgrading the suicide and crisis hotline to enable more effective responses to calls for help.
The upgrades are being implemented first through two of the nation’s major wireless carriers that account for about half of all 988 calls. The FCC did not identify the wireless carriers.
“In times of crisis, every minute matters — especially when seeking help for yourself of a loved one in need of mental health support,” FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said.
“Geo-routing means those responding to 988 calls have a lot more knowledge of local resources at their fingertips and are better equipped to get the caller the help they need where they need it,” Rosenworcel said.
The FCC launched the suicide crisis hotline in 2022 and scheduled a vote on Oct. 17 to finalize the hotline’s rules and possibly require all U.S. cellular services providers to implement geo-routing.
“The goal of 988 is to help people in mental health or substance use crisis get 24/7 access to compassionate, non-judgmental health,” HHS assistant secretary for mental health and substance use Miriam Delphin-Rittmon said.
“Connecting callers to local centers that can share information about their community’s services and resources helps to elevate that quality of care,” Delphin-Rittmon said.
Studies show the 988 lifeline makes most callers more hopeful and feel less depressed, suicidal and overwhelmed after speaking with a trained crisis counselor, according to the FCC.
The crisis lifeline has more than 200 contact centers throughout the nation to support the 988 network.
Improving the service with geo-routing automatically connects callers with the nearest 988 contact center.
Geo-routing does not pinpoint a caller’s location, unlike geo-location, and helps ensure a caller’s privacy.
SAMHSA’s 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates about 12.8 million U.S. adults and 3.2 million adolescents had suicidal thoughts and 3.7 million adults and 5.6% of adolescents planned to commit suicide.
Another 1.5 million adults and 3.3% of adolescents attempted suicide.
More than 49,000 people in the United States committed suicide in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The upgrade is part of a year-old effort by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and 988 network administrator Vibrant Emotional Health to work with all of the nation’s cellular services providers to improve response times and services for callers seeking help.
If you or someone you know is suicidal, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.