Months ago, the FCC unanimously approved 988 as new three-digit suicide prevention hotline. ​Today, an announcement was made that the process to implement the number will take two years, as telecom and voice service companies will be mandated to have a 988 hotline by July 16, 2022.

Per FCC chairman Ajit Pai, the nation’s suicide rates are at its highest point since World War II. Suicide also disproportionately affects marginalized groups — namely Black Americans, Native Americans, Americans in rural areas, teens and young adults and LGBTQ people.
​
The current number to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255), which received 2.2 million calls in 2018.