In a meeting of the Ohio Crisis Task Force Committee on June 29, state leaders outlined the upcoming soft launch of the 988 crisis helpline and encouraged committee members to use the new number in local outreach efforts. The system is set to launch on July 16, 2022.

OhioMHAS shared with the committee that the state will retain a marketing firm in 2023 to publicize 988 and develop Ohio-specific messaging about the service. For the time being, the department recommended that providers, county boards, and other stakeholders use nationally produced branding and messaging from SAMHSA’s 988 Partner Toolkit in public outreach efforts.

The publicity-related announcements are in addition to broader stakeholder updates provided June 2 by OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss on the system’s forthcoming launch. A recording of the department’s stakeholder webinar can be viewed here. Slides from the presentation can be downloaded here as a PDF. For more information about Ohio’s 988 planning work, visit mha.ohio.gov/about-us/priorities/ohios-988-implementation.