Suicide Hotline ‘Won’t Work Well’ Without State Help, HHS Says

The Biden administration’s national suicide hotline rollout will need state governments to play a strong hand to be a success, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday.

July 16 is the date the US National Suicide Prevention Hotline will begin its shift to its new 988 number. The idea is for the hotline to work like a 911 for suicide prevention and be accessible with web chat, text messages, and phone calls. The effort has received over $430 million from the Biden administration along with $150 million from Congress by way of the Safer Communities Act.

But ...