In 2020, Congress passed the historic National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, making 988 the future phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and paving the way for states to fund 988 the same way as 911. We now have the opportunity to do that in Montana with House Bill 315. Gov. Gianforte co-sponsored the Designation Act as a member of Congress, but he has yet to offer his support for HB 315.
HB 315 puts funding mechanisms in place to ensure Montana’s crisis response infrastructure and call centers are adequately staffed and resourced before the new 988 number goes fully live in
July 2022 (until then, please call 1-800-273-8255 for the Lifeline). There is no time to waste — crisis call volume is projected to increase significantly in the coming months as residents continue
to face stressors related to the pandemic and as public messaging campaigns begin to promote 988. Our call centers need to build capacity now. We cannot afford to wait until 2023.
My 19-year-old son died by suicide in 2015. We need to support House Bill 315. We desperately need to ensure that we have financial support to guarantee the residents of Montana have competent local access to this system. Please don’t assume the funding can come from somewhere else in the budget at it will only come from another area that would devastate suicide prevention or mental health.
We all have a role to play in preventing suicide. Please join me in reaching out to the governor’s office and the House Energy, Technology and Federal Relations members to urge their support for HB 315. We must also continue to help each other by learning the warning signs for suicide (afsp.org/signs), how to have a #RealConvo about mental health (afsp.org/realconvo), and how to help
someone who is struggling (afsp.org/get-help).
Tracy Rassley
Belgrade
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 3/23/21