Lawmakers must find funding to keep open crisis, suicide lifelines Dawn Allen

Guest columnist

AI-assisted summary

September is Suicide Prevention Month, highlighting the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Since July 2022, Rhode Island's 988 hotline has answered over 65,000 calls with a 98% answer rate.

Suicide was the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-14 and 20-34 in 2022.

September is Suicide Prevention Month , a time when we come together to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and reaffirm our shared responsibility to protect the lives of family members, friends, neighbors and colleagues. It is also the right moment to reflect on one of the most important tools we have in this fight – the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline .

Since its launch in July 2022, 988 has transformed access to urgent behavioral health care. In Rhode Island alone, the