New National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number launches over the weekend
TAMPA, Fla. - A new, easy-to-remember National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number launches Saturday. Simply calling or texting 988 will connect those in crisis with trained counselors who listen and provide support for mental health-related distress.
Call centers expect more people will be reaching out for help with the new three-digit number.
Help has always been one phone call away, but starting July 16, dialing 988 will connect callers with one of 200 crisis centers nationwide through the national suicide prevention lifeline.
"If someone is willing to pick up the phone and talk that can make a world of difference in saving that individual's life. And that's the main purpose of the line," said Ken Gibson, Crisis Center of Tampa Bay Senior Director of Marketing and Public Relations.
There are 12 lifeline-affiliated call centers in Florida, and the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is one of them. Thirty-five specialists pick up the phone 24 hours a day at the Gateway Contact Center. If someone calls the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline from Hillsborough or Charlotte counties, it is likely answered locally.
"We are often over 100 suicide calls per week," Gibson said.
The number of calls has been on the rise the last few years, he said. From 2016 to 2020 call volume to the lifeline in the Sunshine State increased by 61%. According to the CDC, there is one death by suicide about every 11 minutes.
"Help's available, you're not alone," said Gibson. "There are people out there that care and there are people out there who want to help you."
People in crisis benefit when their plea is answered locally. In the first three months of this year, the lifeline says 68% of the calls in Florida were answered in state, but there is a national backup just in case.
The switch from a 10-digit 800-number to 988 for the national hotline has been in the works for two years, a step toward strengthening and transforming crisis care in the country.
When the rollout happens this Saturday, centers are expecting calls for help to rise.
"That's the point of it, is it's easy to remember so will be utilized more, so we’re anticipating that there's going to be a higher call volume coming in," Gibson said.
The Gateway Contact Center is recruiting, hoping to hire ten more specialists to pick up the phone and help save lives.