[Danialla]

NAMI just sent this email:
1-800-SUICIDE Hotline Set to Shut Down on Saturday August 12

The nation's largest suicide hotline, 1-800-SUICIDE, is scheduled to go out of service this Saturday, August 12, 2006. There are currently negotiations in progress that may prevent this. However, in the event that these negotiations are not successful, NAMI is issuing this alert to raise public awareness of the alternative for those in need of help.

The alternative number for those in crisis is 1-800-273-TALK. This number will put callers in touch with the federally-funded National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a service that has been in operation since January, 2005. It functions as a central switchboard to immediately connect callers to virtually the same network of certified, local crisis centers accessed by 1-800-SUICIDE. So callers can receive counseling or emergency services, if needed, close to home.

All calls to the 1-800-273-TALK Lifeline are private and confidential. Confidentiality of personal information and of personal disclosures during calls is a high priority for the parties involved in operating the Lifeline.

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is working with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the entire suicide prevention community to ensure that every call for help during a suicide crisis is answered. Some of the measures being put in place include:

Ensuring that the entire suicide-prevention community is working the phones and Internet to make sure that all referring agencies know that 1-800-273-TALK is the number to call for suicide intervention.
Notifying service providers, including directory 411 and 211 operators, that 1-800-SUICIDE is scheduled to go out of service beginning August 12, 2006 and to direct callers to 1-800-273-TALK for help.
Redirecting callers who call 1-800-SUICIDE to call 1-800-273-TALK through a recording.
As a part of this effort, NAMI will participate in a meeting with SAMHSA and its other partner groups on Friday afternoon, August 11, and we will issue an update afterwards if there is additional information to share.

NAMI urges you to help distribute this alert in your community. Together, we can ensure that every call for help is answered.

[__zh]

THANK YOU!!! for posting this info!!

we have a pic in the gallery of this number listed on a sign along the train tracks of the commuter corridor. guess we'll be alerting the transit company about this change and directing them to SAMHSA and NAMI for more info.

you bet local legislators and other such folk will be receiving phone calls tomorrow from us about this matter! as a person who has used hotlines in the past and would turn to them again if need be we KNOW the necessity of these lines being available 24 hrs/day.

[hillbunnyb]

I'm emailing my local news groups

[__zh]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
August 11, 2006 6:30 PM EDT
As NAMI reported yesterday, the nation's largest suicide hotline, 1-800-SUICIDE, is scheduled to go out of service. But instead of this occurring on Saturday, August 12, as previously announced, the operator of this hotline has been given a two week extension. Negotiations are still in progress that may prevent the number from going out of service. However, NAMI is still urging the public to be aware that the alternative number for those in crisis is 1-800-273-TALK.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Both NAMI and SAMHSA have links on their homepages regarding this matter. Their links point to this site: Suicide Prevention Lifeline

pdf version of press release from national suicide prevention lifeline

pdf version of samhas public statement

Personally we're still waiting to hear back from transit marketing dept. regarding signs and timeframe for updating all signs near crossings.

This isn't something that is minor or trivial. This saves lives. This is something that is there when nothing else or no one else can be.

Please make sure your community knows about these changes so that in an hour of need someone isn't getting "beep boop boop this number has been disconnected" when they're reaching out for possibly the last time.

thanks again for alerting this community to this change.

and just fyi: print out ready pdf format brochures, wallet cards in other languages, business contact cards, prints for magnets, etc.

edited to reflect two week reprieve of hotline change.....things are uncertain and info needs to be kept current!

[Danialla]

"However, NAMI is still urging the public to be aware that the alternative number for those in crisis is 1-800-273-TALK"

Am I correct in assuming that the above information is still valid regarding the alternative crisis number?

As I understand it, that number will keep running regardless of the outcome of the suicide hotline number.

Thanks for your help.

[(JD)]

IDK why there won't be a forwarding on to the new number from the old??? I mean, it's not like they can reissue the old number anytime soon!

[Danialla]

Good point!

Who knows, maybe it would cost money to forward the calls................

[__zh]

The alternative number is the one they're trying so desperately to get out to the public. 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

SAMHSA's pdf release sounds like the orig. non profit that was contracted for the toll free number did NOT submit a proposal to continue on with their hosting of that number. SAMHSA states that they have been and are continuing to take responsibility for maintaining 1-800-SUICIDE as a public service. YET....they do not say anything about whether or not it will continue.........only the public announcements of the new number to use 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

let us hope that ppl are not lost in this fray as the numbers shift. gotta say the older number is easier to remember in a time of crisis. hope they figure this out and can find funding if necessary.

too bad the non profit systems and gov. entities tend to be ladden with red tape, finger pointing and other non supportive ways of being.

we've heard the frustrations from ppl who have received busy signals when calling hotlines and even those who have called numbers that have been disconnected.

we're hoping that not a single person suffers because of this mix-up over who is paying for what number and who wrote proposals for which contract. stop bickering and return to saving lives and educating the public about suicide.........instead of educating us about internal conflicts within SAMHSA and their subcontractors!