The new federally mandated crisis hotline, 988, is launching on July 16. The hotline will serve as an alternative to 911 and is meant to specifically target people in need of mental health and suicide prevention assistance.  988 callers will be routed to local and state funded crisis centers, or connected with the National Suicide prevention hotline.  We hear from Hannah Wesolowski, National Alliance on Mental Illness Chief Advocacy Officer, and Tonja Myles, community activist and peer counselor, about what the potential of the program of helping many more people experiencing mental health issues.

We also hear from Dan Gorenstein of the podcast Tradeoffs, whose reporting has revealed how many states may not have the mental health infrastructure in place yet to support the launch of 988, with the rollout just days away.