Improved 9-8-8 Access: Local Crisis Routing and Direct Dialing Mandate.
This Act enhances the national 9-8-8 mental health crisis hotline by ensuring calls and texts are routed to the nearest participating crisis center, speeding up access to local support. It also mandates that mobile providers transmit 9-8-8 communications even from phones without active service and requires multi-line phone systems (like those in offices) to allow direct dialing of 9-8-8, similar to 9-1-1. These changes aim to significantly increase the accessibility of mental health emergency assistance.
Key points
9-8-8 calls and texts will be routed based on proximity to the caller's location, ensuring faster connection to local crisis resources while protecting precise location privacy.
Mobile phones without active service will still be able to connect to 9-8-8, significantly increasing accessibility for individuals in crisis.
Office and hotel phone systems (Multi-Line Telephone Systems) must be configured to allow direct dialing of 9-8-8, just like 9-1-1.
Expired
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