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Ohio getting ready to launch 988, will replace National Suicide Prevention Lifeline


Starting Saturday, Ohioans suffering from mental health distress or suicidal thoughts will be able to call or text 988. (WSYX){ }{ }{p}{/p}
Starting Saturday, Ohioans suffering from mental health distress or suicidal thoughts will be able to call or text 988. (WSYX)

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Starting Saturday, Ohioans suffering from mental health distress or suicidal thoughts will be able to call or text 988. The state has been working on the project for 18 months to get ready for Saturday's launch. Many hope it's going to be a tool that can help save lives.

Robbie Graham and his wife have gone through unbearable pain after losing their 19-year-old stepson.

"In 2012 my stepson Grey took his life and it was devastating. It was probably the hardest thing I could ever imagine going through in my life," Graham said.

But since, they have been striving to help those struggling with mental health and he now hopes a three-digit number can help make a difference.

"This provides a one-stop for people who need help," Graham said.

Starting Saturday, Ohioans in distress can dial or text 988 and will be routed to the local crisis center, based on the caller’s area code.

The three-digit number will eventually replace the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

"So people don't have to scramble around, they don't have to stumble around trying to find the help they need, they can actually just call that number and immediately be connected to somebody," Graham said.

Tony Coder, Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation Executive Director, said demand for mental health services is at an all-time high and finding enough staff for the call centers has been challenging.

However, it's a service that's in dire need.

"I just had a phone call from a woman who was in dire need of care and she didn't know where to turn. That's what we're hoping 988 provides, that place to go to when it seems like people have disappeared and opportunities have disappeared - where do you turn?" That's what we're hoping 988 is."

Gov. Mike DeWine has set aside enough funding for 988 for the first year. After that, Coder said they're hoping to charge 50 cents to monthly cell phone bills to help fund it.

"We still face that cliff in June when that money runs out," Coder said.

For families who have gone through the unimaginable, they hope this tool can help save a life.

"I can't say for sure if it would have actually helped my stepson if we would have had it then but I do believe that in the past ten years I have met a lot of people that I believe would have been helped by it," Graham said.

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