Assemblyman Santabarbara Announces Rollout of New Mental Health Crisis Hotline
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced the 988 National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis hotline will be available to New Yorkers starting on Saturday, July 16th. Santabarbara helped secure funding and passed legislation to help implement the new, three-digit number replacing the current National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255).
“Everyone should have someone they can turn to when going through a mental health crisis, whether they’re struggling with substance abuse or suicidal ideation,” Santabarbara said. “We saw a skyrocketing number of residents reaching out to crisis centers before the pandemic, and the need for these services doesn’t appear to be waning. As a member of the Assembly Mental Health Committee, I know how important it is to have resources that are easily accessible, especially during a mental health crisis. I’m hopeful this hotline will help save lives in our community and across the country.”
Santabarbara noted that this year’s state budget that included $35 million to expand access to crisis call centers, and federal funding brings the total investment to $52 million.[1] In addition to passing a bill last year to support this transition, he helped pass a bill that made technical changes to support implementing the hotline (Ch. 135 of 2022).
Shortening the phone number from 10 to three digits, similarly to 911, offers an easier number to remember during a mental health crisis, Santabarbara noted. Beginning July 16th, New Yorkers experiencing a mental health or addiction crisis can call or text 988 to talk with a trained counselor.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, almost 1,650 people died by suicide in New York in 2020, a rate of eight suicide deaths per 100,000 people. [2] The state does fall below the national rate of almost 14 deaths per 100,000. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death nationally for people between 10 to 34 years old. [3]
[2] aws-fetch.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/state-fact-sheets/2022/2022-state-fact-sheets-new-york.pdf
[3] cnn.com/2022/05/06/health/988-suicide-prevention-number-states-prepare/index.html