Did you know that calling 988 for mental crisis help, rings at a call center based on your area code, not your address?
Since July 2022, anyone experiencing emotional distress or suicidal thoughts can dial 988,But the nationwide mental health phone line has experienced some bad connections. And some can be the difference between life and death.
Hahn said in some instances, 988 callers are turned away because they are calling from an out of county area code.“We can attest that routing by area code is causing challenges with connecting 988 callers to local resources across the state,” said a statement released on Friday, Aug. 11by Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.
Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Panorama City, has written a 988 fix-it bill that received the endorsement of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Calls routed by area code are “slowing access to resources on the ground,” Cardenas said in a statement. “This creates a problem if a caller needs to be connected with a greater continuum of care, such as a crisis response team or crisis center.”
But he doesn’t want to leave it up to each carrier to act voluntarily, especially if one acts immediately, the other one takes a long time or another one doesn’t act at all. His bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to make the changes. Fifth District L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, a Republican, said she believes the bill will gain more Republican support as it moves through the House. “This is a bipartisan issue. This bill will have a strong impact throughout the state of California,” she said.
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