APA commends Congressional leaders, including Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois) and Mike Lawler (R-New York), for introducing the 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act to codify the 988 lifeline’s specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation, S.2826opens in new window and H.R.5434opens in new window, seeks to restore the LGBTQ+ 988 line that was eliminated by the administration on July 17.
APA Services and members of the Mental Health Liaison Group sent a coalition letter on June 25 to Congress (PDF, 172KB)opens in new window stressing the importance of the 988 dedicated lines in providing crisis support to vulnerable populations.
Suicide is an urgent public health issue, and many Americans lack access to lifesaving support, treatment, and care. According to the CDCopens in new window, almost 50,000 people died by suicide in 2023—that is one death every 11 minutes. This crisis has even more acute impacts on veterans, individuals and families in rural America, and LGBTQ+ youth. In fact, research shows that LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicideopens in new window than their peers.
Recognizing the disproportionate impacts of these crises on particular communities, Congress and the first Trump Administration ensured that the 988 Lifeline included services that would address the needs of at-risk populations. These dedicated lines provide access to specially trained counselors and community services. The core of specialized services is about addressing acute risk levels and providing effective crisis services to Americans who need them the most.
Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Servicesopens in new window shows that approximately 9% of the calls to the 988 Lifeline utilized the LGBTQ+ youth dedicated line, accounting for 1.5 million contacts. There have been over 17 million contacts to 988 since its launch in 2022.
APA will continue to build support for the 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act and restore this critical dedicated line.
For more information, contact Julio C Abreu.