Counties Applaud Final Rulemaking to Improve 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Counties (NACo) today applauded a unanimous vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Board of Commissioners to move forward with georouting for the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The board’s vote approved a Report and Order to route calls to the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline based on approximate location of the caller instead of the caller’s area code.  

The FCC’s actions mark a key success for counties, which advocated aggressively for accurate routing of 988 calls to become a national requirement. Earlier this year, NACo applauded the FCC for prioritizing the georouting of calls to 9-8-8 through the initiation of a notice of proposed rulemaking.

Counties provide essential mental health support services to residents in need, offering a unique lens into the importance of an effective 9-8-8. Since launching in 2022, the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has received over 10.8 million calls, texts and chats, making it an essential tool for counties in supporting the mental health of residents.    

“Georouting calls to 9-8-8 will be a significant improvement to this life-saving system, facilitating faster response times to residents in need while protecting the privacy of those who dial for assistance,” said NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. “The FCC has taken a critical step which will allow caretakers to offer more localized callers for residents in need.”  

The issue of 9-8-8 georouting has been a priority for the Bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus, co-founded by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Last year, following NACo’s advocacy on Capitol Hill and meetings with the FCC, Sens. Padilla and Tillis introduced the Local 9-8-8 Response Act of 2023, with a companion bill introduced by Rep. Tony Cárdenas, co-chair of the House 988 & Crisis Services Task Force.  

“We appreciate our intergovernmental partners and allies from the mental and behavioral health community,” said Chase. “Our collective efforts will result in better services and outcomes for residents who need critical care during a crisis.”

Leaders from Los Angeles County, Calif., who have led on this issue for over a year, issued statements in support of the FCC’s efforts:  

“Expanding our crisis response network has been one of my top priorities for Los Angeles County,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “9-8-8 is now one of the critical tools that helps ensure we have a care first response to individuals experiencing mental health crises. In my role as Chair of the NACo Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing, I prioritized 9-8-8 support and led advocacy efforts at the White House and on Capitol Hill. I appreciate the FCC prioritizing this critical issue and taking action to approve rules that both implement georouting for calls to the 988 Lifeline and provide georouting data of 988 text messages. As a result, lives will undoubtedly be saved.”

“9-8-8 has been a game changer for how we respond to mental health crises in Los Angeles County, but the way calls are routed has caused problems,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “I appreciate the FCC for recognizing this issue and acting decisively to address it and I applaud the carriers who didn’t wait and are already using georouting for 9-8-8 calls – helping ensure everyone who calls for help can get the response they need and deserve.”  

Learn more about the county role in implementing the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline here.