The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline went live in July 2022 to connect people experiencing mental health-related distress with trained counselors to provide help. Just as 911 is universally known for use during emergencies, like a heart attack or car accident, contacting 988 can be lifesaving for people experiencing a mental health crisis. The 988 service offers 24/7 crisis support via call, text or chat and is free for all phone users at no additional charge.
Codified under the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, this resource has served millions of individuals across the country experiencing mental or emotional health crisis, such as suicidal ideation, substance use crisis, and others. The 988 Lifeline, administered by Vibrant Emotional Health, is comprised of over 200 state and local crisis call centers across the nation. Individuals in need can call, text, or chat with a live person trained in crisis management. Because 988 uses georouting for calls (and is transitioning to georouting for texts), an individual who calls or texts 988 is often routed to the crisis center closest to their approximate physical location, allowing them to be connected with services in their community. (Georouting does not share the caller’s precise location.)
States fund these call centers through a variety of mechanisms, including leveraging administrative Medicaid dollars. As H.R. 1’s federal Medicaid funding cuts and policy changes take effect, states are facing increasing budget challenges and competing funding priorities. Additionally, an enhanced Medicaid funding option provided through the American Rescue Plan Act will sunset in 2027. This option allowed several states to add a State Plan Amendment to provide for community-based mobile crisis services and receive 12 quarters of enhanced federal funding, services that are key to supporting the mental health crisis continuum along with 988.
The data below shows in-state call answer rates from the line’s inception in 2022 through the most recently available data, updated on a rolling basis and available here. For more data from a national perspective, view 988 Lifeline Performance Metrics on the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website.
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Need Support Now? If you or a loved one is in need of help, you can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. People using the 988 Lifeline are not required to provide any payment or insurance information to receive support. You can find a National Association on Mental Illness (NAMI) affiliate to learn more about free support and education programs here.