Hope Means Nevada Raising Awareness of New National Suicide Prevention Hotline Number

Hope Means Nevada (HMN), the community-based non-profit focused on eliminating youth suicide in the state, is taking action to raise awareness of 988, the brand-new three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline set to launch on Saturday, July 16.

Through its teen committee members, social media channels and community initiatives, Hope Means Nevada aims to educate local teens as well as their friends and families about this brand-new essential resource for suicide prevention and mental health crises. 

According to a survey conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) from May 20 to 22, 2022, 77 percent of U.S. adults still have never heard of 988. With a staggering number of people largely unaware of this potentially lifesaving resource, Hope Means Nevada seeks to highlight this resource and educate the local community.

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is a national network of state and local crisis centers linked through a 24/7 toll-free number connecting callers throughout the U.S. to immediate crisis care. The lifeline network consists of more than 170 independently operated local and state-funded crisis centers. Ideally, callers are connected with a local counselor in their own state. However, if the local center is unable to answer, the lifeline reroutes calls to backup centers in their network, both in- and out-of-state

“The number of people who are not aware of the new three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is alarming,” says Dr. Sheldon A. Jacobs, licensed marriage and family therapist and vice president, National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) of Southern Nevada, and board member, Hope Means Nevada. “Hope Means Nevada is doing the critical work of raising awareness in the community and the lives of our struggling teens absolutely depend on it.”  

Adds Julie Murray, co-chair, Hope Means Nevada: “At Hope Means Nevada, we work to connect our teens with a safe place for help when they are hurting. These three numbers, 988, can save a life.”