Hochul: NY State to rollout 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

A new number — 988 — for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline goes into effect on Saturday, and New York officials said they are ready to implement it statewide including on Long Island.

Mental health experts in Nassau and Suffolk counties, where suicides among teenagers and others are rising, hailed the new number as an important tool to decrease suicides.

“Suicide is often an impulsive act with only 10 minutes between thinking, ‘I should kill myself’ and acting on that thought,” said Dr. Shane Owens, a psychologist based in Rockville Centre and Commack whose work partly focuses on the issue.

“Anything simple and easy — dialing three digits that put a person in touch with instant help — is likely to save lives,” he said.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also praised the new 24-hour hotline, which people can call or text.

"988 is the new 911 for fellow New Yorkers who are dealing with mental health crises,” he said. “If you are struggling or need help, know that you are not alone: dial 988."

The three-digit number will replace the 10-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — 800-273-8255. 

Callers to the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline will be connected to trained counselors. People experiencing a mental health crisis of any kind — such as self-harm or addiction — can call.

Officials said that people can also call on behalf of loved ones in crisis. 

New York State has 13 operating 988 crisis contact centers and two more in the works, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday. All 62 counties in the state will be ready to transition to the 988 number on Saturday, she said.

Anyone with a metropolitan area code will be connected to one of the New York State crisis centers, Hochul said.

Karen Boorshtein, president and CEO of Family Service League, a leading suicide prevention group in Suffolk County, called the new number “an important milestone toward strengthening the safety net of crisis care and mental health service in this country … These traumatic issues are often too difficult to overcome by yourself.”

Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death after unintentional injury among people ages 10 to 34 in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The number of teenage suicides FSL responded to in Suffolk County tripled in 2020 and 2021, going from four to 12, the group said. The total number of suicides they responded to went from 25 to 43. 

Hochul said the new number will help reduce the use of law enforcement, public health workers and others in responding to calls from people with mental health issues.

It will also help end the stigma about seeking mental health care, she said.