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New 988 hotline is the 911 for mental health emergencies

Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, speaks during a press conference on the kickoff of 988, a new national mental health hotline, Friday, July 15, 2022, in Philadelphia. The press conference took place in front of the Contemplation, Clarity and Resilience mural by artist Eric Okdeh, which is a mural that represents, among many other things, the process of overcoming hardships. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline (988) goes live on Saturday. (Heather Khalifa/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, waits for the start of a press conference press conference on the kickoff of 988, a new national mental health hotline, Friday, July 15, 2022, in Philadelphia. The press conference took place in front of the Contemplation, Clarity and Resilience mural by artist Eric Okdeh, which is a mural that represents, among many other things, the process of overcoming hardships. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline (988) goes live on Saturday. (Heather Khalifa/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, speaks at the podium during a press conference on the kickoff of 988, a new national mental health hotline, in West Philadelphia, Friday, July 15, 2022. The press conference took place in front of the Contemplation, Clarity and Resilience mural by artist Eric Okdeh, which is a mural that represents, among many other things, the process of overcoming hardships. (Heather Khalifa/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, speaks during a press conference on the kickoff of 988, a new national mental health hotline, Friday, July 15, 2022, in Philadelphia. The press conference took place in front of the Contemplation, Clarity and Resilience mural by artist Eric Okdeh, which is a mural that represents, among many other things, the process of overcoming hardships. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline (988) goes live on Saturday. (Heather Khalifa/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) In this Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, photo, a man uses a cell phone in New Orleans. Quick help for suicidal thoughts and other mental health emergencies may soon be as easy as 9-8-8. The United States' first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline goes live on Saturday, July 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)