988 is live now here in the US

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When people in America are experiencing an emergency--fire, medical crisis, break-ins, assault, or worse--they know to call 911. That is the number that links the caller to a local dispatcher who will collect information, relay it to law enforcement and emergency responders, and stay on the line with the caller until help arrives. The problem is that many times calls to 911 are regarding situations where the individual needs immediate mental health care. When law enforcement and medical first responders show up the person in crisis either winds up in a hospital but not prioritized for immediate mental health assistance or they wind up in conflict with the police and it turns into them getting arrested (usually not peacefully or gently) or even something worse up to and including being shot and killed. The 988 hotline has officially launched in the US. People who feel suicidal or who are otherwise experiencing a mental health crisis can call 988 and they will immediately be connected to a trained mental health professional. (no wait times and no returned calls several days later) I think this is a wonderful big step forward in addressing mental health issues in the US. Do I think that people who are crazy/sick enough to want to shoot up a synagogue, grocery store, concert, or school will have the self-awareness to call 988? Of course not. But if someone has a schizophrenic family member who is not acting normally they have the option to call 988 to have mental health experts handle the situation rather than law enforcement officers who are largely untrained in such situations which is why they tend to escalate the situation and grab their guns. Obviously 988 isn't going to stop mass shootings (or the majority of them anyway) but I really think it will be helpful in situations where one individual is clearly in crisis and either calls of their own volition or a family member or bystander can make the call to get the proper authorities on the scene.