Three numbers can save a life.

That’s the concept behind the new (or, by now, not-so-new) 988 suicide hotline that covers the United States and Canada. In October 2020, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 was signed into law, designating 988 as the nationwide dialing code (including both calls and texts) to connect people in crisis with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors. The new hotline number officially launched in July 2022.

Before that, people who were dealing with a mental health crisis would call 1-800-273-8255. While this number is still available (calls are automatically rerouted to 988), the shorter, three-digit code is much simpler for someone whose mental capacity is very low in a moment of crisis. It’s similar to 911, making it easy to remember. But connecting with call centers staffed with trained mental health professionals (including ones who speak Spanish, who are LGBTQI+ affirming, or who speak ASL over video call) is much more beneficial than calling 911 for a first responder to show up at your door unneeded. 

988 quickly caught on and became particularly popular during the pandemic. In May 2024, 988 received over a million monthly contacts. And in a world where depression and suicide rates are increasing, this is incredibly valuable work. Yet still, call centers are only meeting the bare minimum. 

“They answer the phone. If needed, they send you to the hospital. Maybe they refer you to some type of community support. But that’s about it,” says Dr. Sahar Dawi, PhD, MBA, Behavioral Health Subject Matter Advisor Accenture. 

What happens to patients after they call? Do they receive the mental health care and support they need? Or do they slip through the cracks?

Call centers are stretched thin trying to meet the need. 988 is a crucial service. But it can’t become stagnant. This is a major opportunity for tech companies to step in, helping innovate and evolve as they seek to follow up with each and every caller.

Why Are 988 Caller Follow-Ups A Challenge?

Following up with 988 callers isn’t impossible — but it certainly poses a challenge. Take a look at these primary obstacles that make patient follow-ups difficult. 

Capacity and Workforce Shortages

As the demand for mental health services continues to grow, call centers are becoming overwhelmed. Many centers lack sufficient trained staff to handle the volume of calls they’re receiving. And those they do have are emotionally exhausted: In a 2024 survey from Accenture, 42% of behavioral health workers reported burnout. 

Funding and Resources

“While the [988] program is a national initiative, funding varies by state,” Dawi explains. This leads to inconsistencies in service delivery; struggles with limited staffing and technology; and difficulty meeting demand.

Technological Integration

In some cases, a patient in crisis may need support in the form of a specialized mobile unit from another emergency service. Seamless coordination between 988 and other existing emergency services, such as 911, is an important part of the overall crisis continuum. However, it’s also complex to integrate and deploy.

Data Interoperability Challenges

Crisis center data needs to be shared with the national 988 coordinator on a state-by-state level to provide a comprehensive view of the current state of 988 across the U.S. This can be tricky because of the different data challenges that affect different call centers.

Continuity of Care

988 serves as an initial intervention. But the big challenge, according to Dawi, is ensuring callers receive appropriate follow-up care or referrals.

“This includes linking people with long-term mental health services, which may not be readily available due to broader shortages in mental healthcare or may not be an option for the call centers as they do not have the capacity to make those referrals.”

This issue is particularly apparent in rural areas, which often have fewer mental health services, making it even harder to connect individuals in crisis with appropriate care.

Space to Innovate

You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. And in this case, the data is clear: It’s time for a change, to benefit behavioral health workers and patients alike.

Faced with the list of challenges outlined above, tech companies might be disinclined to help 988 callers get access to follow-up care.

“It’s all heavily regulated,” Dawi notes. “Especially with smaller startups, it’s hard for them to get in. This is a system-wide problem.”

The opportunity for innovation is broad. And the incentive is there: Besides the obvious benefit of helping open up access to mental healthcare and save human lives, this is a well-funded market. For tech companies, a solid state contract could be financially lucrative. 

What does this follow-up actually look like? How does it work? The sky’s the limit. Different tech companies might plug different gaps depending on their specialties, working to create a plan for 988/911 interoperability or introducing an automated system with data warehousing and mechanisms for statewide data sharing among centers.

Maybe three numbers can save somebody’s life. But it’s the follow-up — someone remembering them and getting access to the mental healthcare they need — that will keep them alive. And when it comes to 988, that follow-up can easily be powered by the innovation of tech startups across the continent.

It’s up to you.