988 suicide prevention number: There’s a new national hotline for mental health. How will we pay for it?
FILE - In this Aug. 11, 2019, file photo, a man uses a cellphone in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File) (Jenny Kane)
The mental health version of 911 is set to launch nationwide next month with hopes it will be a game changer for suicide prevention and other emergencies, but some mental health professionals worry they will not be ready to handle the anticipated flood of calls.
“We have all of the technology,” said Jennifer Piver, the executive director of Mental Health America of Greenville County in South Carolina. “We do not have the funding for staff, for salaries.”
The new national three-digit number — 988 — is meant to connect people in mental health crises with those who are specially trained to respond to such situations. The easy-to-remember number launches July 16 .
Read more from NBC News.
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