10-Digit Dialing Is Now Mandatory Throughout NY And NJ To Set Up 988 National Suicide Prevention Hotline

With suicides on the rise, the government wants to make the national crisis hotline easier to use. A proposed three-digit number — 988 — could replace the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Starting this week, residents in some parts of New York and New Jersey who are used to 7-digit dialing for local calls have to start using area codes. The transition is to prepare for a big change to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline next summer. WNYC’s Katherine Fung reports. See additional details on Gothamist