988 National Suicide Prevention

The telecommunications industry is in the process of establishing 988 as the three-digit suicide hotline number. The transition to 10-Digit Dialing for the 988 National Suicide Prevention Hotline in the United States is underway, with permissive 10-Digit Dialing beginning on April 24, 2021 and mandatory 10-Digit Dialing beginning on July 15, 2022. For more information about implementation of 988 in the U.S., visit: https://www.nationalnanpa.com/transition_to_10_digit_dialing_for_988/index.html.

 

While 988 will be implemented in the U.S. in July 2022, a three-digit number for suicide prevention is not yet implemented for Canada. The toll-free number for Canada’s suicide prevention hotline is 1-833-456-4566 (24 x 7), and the common short code for texts is 45656 (from 4 pm to midnight Eastern Time).