FCC to finalize new three-digit suicide prevention hotline number

The FCC will vote next month to change the national suicide prevention hotline to a simple and easier to remember 988 number than the current 10-digit version. "988 will save lives," FCC chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement, adding, "We believe that 988 — which has an echo of the 911 number we all know as an emergency number — will help people access mental health services." If the change is adopted, people will be able to reach the hotline through 988 by July 2022, and the current number, 800-273-TALK (8255), will continue to be in effect. An FCC report published last summer estimated that with a shorter number, the already-strapped crisis hotline will need an additional $50 million in funding to field the extra calls that will likely be placed due to rising suicide rates and the shorter number.