The 988 hotline will become a direct number for individuals wanting to reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2020, suicide was the third leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 10 to 24.
The Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services group is leading the new effort within California and currently has 13 crisis call centers across the state. Those centers already field over 270,000 calls a year, with those numbers expected to increase with the rollout of the hotline.
