New National Suicide Hotline number to launch Saturday

Back in June, 21 News reported that a new three-digit suicide prevention hotline will be launching later in July. That number is getting ready to launch in Ohio on Saturday, July 16.
Starting on Saturday, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is transitioning the National Suicide Prevention line to just three digits instead of the original 10. The new number will be 988.
The original number will not be going anywhere. The new three-digit number will be a national hotline number for the same agency.
Suicides count for more than 40,000 deaths in the U.S. according to the CDC. Just last year, Mahoning County has seen 41 suicides with 11 of them occurring between January and May.
This year, that number has nearly doubled 20 suicides being reported between January and May, with officials saying the country is on track to surpass last year's total.
"We're seeing an increase in mental health symptoms with our adolescent population [and] increase in suicidal ideation, there's been an increase in presentations at the emergency department," said Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board Director of Clinical Services, Katie Cretella.
When people call or send a text to 988, trained counselors will be standing by ready to help.