Federal legislation requires all states to transition from a 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number to 988 by July 16, 2022. In Ohio, a group of interested stakeholders has met over the past year as the 988 Planning Committee to develop a roadmap for how 988 will help build awareness of an easy-to-remember, visible entry point into the crisis care system for people affected by suicide, mental health and addiction issues. Click here to view the final implementation plan the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS) submitted to the federal government on January 21^st. For more information about Ohio’s 988 planning work, visit mha.ohio.gov/about-us/priorities/ohios-988-implementation.

988 will now transition to become the Connect Committee under the MHAS Crisis Services Task Force. The Connect committee is seeking stakeholders to participate in meetings from hotlines that are not NSPLs. If you are interested in joining this committee, please reach out to Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson.

Ohio has 16 approved National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) providers with two more in the final phases of approval. At this time, there will be no additional lifeline providers approved as Ohio has more lifeline call centers than any other states and Vibrant (the federal vendor) has made this recommendation. MHAS worked with the current NSPLs to expand coverage to answer calls for all of Ohio’s 88 counties 24 hours a day, seven days a week. OhioMHAS is working with the general assembly and stakeholders to develop a long-term funding strategy for 988 in Ohio. Currently, MHAS is providing funding for the first 18 months, starting January 2022 to assist NSPLs preparing for the July implementation of 988. OhioMHAS created a series of Careline trainings in partnership with the Ohio State University College of Social Work. These trainings are appropriate for any hotline, are open to the public, include live webinars and self-paced courses, and include CEUs. More information on these trainings is available here.