WASHINGTON — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was among congressional representatives to urge leadership to pass legislation creating a new, shorter phone number for the National Suicide Hotline.
Capito joined a bipartisan group of representatives from both chambers in signing a letter addressed to Senate President Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
The group urged leaders to include the measure in the new COVID-19 stimulus package currently in the works.
The proposal, called the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, would designate 9-8-8 as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which would include the Veterans Crisis Line for veteran-specific mental health support.
Standalone versions of the legislation have been introduced in both chambers, as HR 4194 and S 2261.
Members of the group contend that the current ten-digit hotline forms a barrier to Americans in crisis seeking support.
The letter references a measure passed in 2018 directing the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate using a three-digit suicide hotline. The agency's report indicated such a number would improve suicide prevention and recommended using the 9-8-8 number.
"As our country is facing an unprecedented challenge in responding to COVID-19, this three-digit hotline would play a critical role in saving the lives of many vulnerable Americans who are facing mental health emergencies during this period of isolation and uncertainty," the letter states. "Suicide does not discriminate between rural and urban areas or by income, and it causes heartbreak and loss in communities in every single one of our states.
"We must ensure that we are doing everything we can to prevent these devastating outcomes from occurring, especially in these trying times as grief and uncertainty encompass our nation."
