#988 Suicide & Crisis LIfeline

A surge of calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline one year after the Lahaina wildfires underscores urgent need for expanded Hawaiʻi-based mental health support services. However, limited local resources have caused many calls to be rerouted to out-of-state services, exposing critical gaps in local mental health infrastructure, according to the University of Hawaiʻi. These findings were published in JAMA Network Open on Nov. 20.

The Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act would fund suicide prevention initiatives, ensure health care providers receive training to prevent intentional harm and create a centralized hub to provide safety information to at-risk youth and their support networks.