9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is one of the largest federally-mandated crisis response transformations in decades. It is designed to meet the rising needs of mental health, substance abuse disorders and suicide interventions across the country. 9-8-8 will, over an extended period of time, become as commonly used as 9-1-1, providing appropriate mental health crisis response for all Georgians.
9-1-1 began in the 1960s. It took thirty years to have 93% of the US population covered by 9-1-1 and it continues to evolve. We will take lessons learned from the 9-1-1 implementation: build capacity and staffing over time, with a focus on technology and infrastructure.
For more information on 9-8-8 you can also check out the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) FAQs: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988/faqs