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FCC supports three-digit suicide hotline number

Dec 13, 2019 12:30 pm
Joel Shannon is reporting for USA Today U.S. regulators are in the process of setting up a new three-digit number to reach a suicide prevention line, similar to 911. Once the process is completed, U.S. residents will be able to call 988 for help in a mental health emergency. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline currently uses a 10-digit number, 800-273-TALK. “The three-digit number is really going to be a breakthrough in terms of reaching people in a crisis,” said Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life, a suicide prevention nonprofit. A December 12, press release from the Federal Communications Commission announced that formal rule-making on the 988 number has begun. The FCC proposal requires all telephone service providers to commodity the 988 number within 18 months. Read the full story in USA Today.