February 5, 2020 3:20 a.m.
On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden announced that he is co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation that would designate 9-8-8 as a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.
A release from Wyden said he has been a long-time advocate of setting aside a three-digit number for people facing a mental health crisis, who are considering suicide.
Wyden said “suicide is a public health crisis and requires this urgent step of building upon the successful use of recognized three-digit 9-1-1 numbers for emergencies”. He said that designating a three-digit 9-8-8 number for people in a mental health crisis or thinking about suicide is “a crucial piece of the targeted response that’s needed to save lives in Oregon and nationwide”.
The release said the statewide “Breaking the Silence” reporting project last year in Oregon, found that suicide kills more than 800 Oregonians a year. It also found that suicide rates in the state and across the country have steadily increased since 2000.
The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act introduced by Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Republican Cory Gardner of Colorado follows a Federal Communications Commission recommendation in August that a 9-8-8 number would help mental health and suicide prevention access, according to the release.
The bill would also include the Veterans Crisis Line for veteran-specific mental health support. It would authorize states to collect fees to ensure that local call centers can support increased volume.