Canada’s new 988 suicide-prevention helpline starts today. Here’s what you need to know – The Star
November 30, 2023
Three-digit number is enlisted in battle against second most common cause of death among young people.
Three years in the making, Canada’s new three-digit phone number for suicide prevention launches Thursday.
Starting at 9 a.m. EST, if someone is thinking about suicide or is worried that someone else is thinking about suicide, health officials say, “they can call or text 988 for suicide-prevention support at any time of day or night.”
The helpline is being led and co-ordinated by Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and funded — to the tune of $158.4 million — by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Here is everything you need to know.
