The National Suicide Prevention line will change next year to a shortened easy to remember 3 digit number. Planning and preparations for the change in South Dakota got a boost from a grant award to the South Dakota Department of Social Services. The grant through Vibrant Emotional Health will be used to develop plans in preparation for the projected infrastructure needs, volume growth and access to the Lifelines new 988 number. Department of Social Services Secretary Laurie Gill spoke about the change to the prevention line.
The changes to not affect the numbers of call centers nationwide that provide free and confidential emotional support and crisis counseling to people in suicide crisis or emotional distress, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Gill talks about where calls go.
The primary purpose of the Suicide prevention line is set but Gill talks about callers to the line can expect.
Gill said the new line will be a great refocus of needs for suicide prevention and divert many of those calls away from law enforcement and judiciary involvment. The new shortened 988 number for suicide prevention nationwide will go into July 1, 2022. It will replace the current nationwide number 1-800-273-8255