The FCC has adopted 988 as a new three-digit number to be used throughout the United States (“US”) to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline.
The quick dial feature is effective July 16, 2022.
In order for 988 to work in certain US markets where the 988 local exchange is used as part of a standard call, Windstream Enterprise has implemented mandatory 10-digit dialing for customers calling someone other than the hotline. Doing so ensures that if anyone dials 9-8-8 without the area code, they will route directly to the hotline.
Although 9-8-8 will be fully implemented within the United States and connect United States callers to suicide prevention services effective July 16, 2022, a three-digit number (such as 9-8-8) has not yet been implemented in Canada. As such, Canadian callers who wish to connect to suicide prevention services will need to dial the toll-free number 1-833-456-4566 for voice calls at any time, or the common short code 45645 for texts from 4 p.m. to midnight Eastern Time.