In July 2022, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) will be accessible through a three digit number - 988. With the rollout of 988, crisis lines will experience an increase in call volume in addition to the already existing call volume.

Many people who contact crisis lines via the current numbers already experience delays in response time from a counselor. I believe these issues can be attributed to a lack of funding, understaffing, and decreased awareness around crisis lines and suicide prevention.

Together we can demand more for suicide prevention by demanding more funding for 988, crisis lines, and other crisis response efforts. Crisis lines operate 24/7/365 and provide a lifeline for people experiencing distress and suicidal thoughts. It is vital that these response systems receive adequate funding for staffing and operations. 

Suicide prevention is vital to public health. 

• Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the US
• in 2020 there were approximately 1.2M suicide attempts
• Many people who experience suicidal thoughts have a treatable mental illness

(https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/

I created this petition to collect signatures from as many people as possible so that we can send to legislature to demand more funding for 988, crisis lines, and suicide prevention efforts. I hope you will join me in this cause. I encourage you to send this petition to your state and federal legislature.

Thank you!

The Bills:

reference: https://moreformentalhealth.org/funding.htm

• The Behavioral Health Crisis Services Expansion Act
  • This bill would enable communities across the country to build out and enhance care across the crisis care continuum, by setting standards for health care providers when responding to behavioral health crises, expanding behavioral health care coverage through health insurance, and directing HHS and DOJ to revise recommendations for emergency services dispatchers and crisis call center personnel when responding to a behavioral health crisis. (S.1902/H.R.5611)
• The 988 Implementation Act
  • This bill would provide vital federal investments to fund the launch of the new 988 hotline including building out infrastructure of 24/7 call centers, mobile crisis teams, and crisis stabilization facilities, establishing a Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office to serve as a federal resource to support and coordinate efforts to expand crisis services across the country, and supporting the behavioral health workforce. (H.R.7116)
• The Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act
  • This bill has passed the House and would require the CDC to develop, implement, and evaluate a national media campaign focused on suicide prevention to raise awareness about 988 services. (H.R.2862)
• The Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act
  • This bill would strengthen and expand the Lifeline’s services and capacity in terms of supporting SAMHSA in creating a plan for ensuring high quality service, strengthening data-sharing agreements with CDC, and implementing a pilot program on using different communications platforms, such as social media, for suicide prevention. (S.2425/H.R.2981)
• The Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS) Act
  • This bill would allow state Medicaid programs to cover some community-based mobile crisis intervention services for individuals experiencing a mental health or substance-use disorder crisis outside of a facility setting. (S.764/H.R.1914)
• The Mental Health Justice Act
  • This bill would create a grant program for states and local governments to train and dispatch mental health professionals to respond, instead of law enforcement officers, to emergencies that involve people with behavioral health needs. (S.515/H.R.1368)

Additional Information:

A statement from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) website:

"AFSP recognizes that crisis call centers provide invaluable support at critical times and connect individuals to services that can save lives. Statewide crisis call centers can reduce gaps in local service delivery, and local Lifeline affiliated call centers ensure callers are linked with local services and resources. Federal and state support for and investment in the Lifeline network is critical for crisis centers across the U.S. at a time when many are underfunded and struggling to meet current service demand, much less the when the Lifeline number changes to 988.

Currently, we are focused on increases in federal and state funding for the 988 crisis response continuum, including the Lifeline and its network of crisis call centers. Adequate funding from diverse sources, including customer service fees as allowed for in the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act,  is needed to ensure that calls can truly be answered 24/7/365 by trained, in-state crisis counselors who can connect callers to in-person crisis response services as needed and other lifesaving follow-up care."

Read More:

• About the Issue:
  • https://afsp.org/funding-for-988-crisis-response
• About the Funding:
  • https://moreformentalhealth.org/funding.htm
• About the Bills:
  • https://moreformentalhealth.org/action.htm#/bills
• About 988:
  • https://www.datocms-assets.com/12810/1638806403-14239afsppublicfacingtalkingpointsupdatem1.pdf
• Find Your State Legislature 
  • https://www.congress.gov/state-legislature-websites
• Find Federal and State Legislature 
  • https://moreformentalhealth.org/action.htm#/legislators