Policy and Advocacy
988 – The Three-Digit Number for Suicide Prevention
Lines for Life is now Oregon’s home for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. As part of a nationwide partnership, Lines for Life advocated for the adoption and implementation of this service, launched in July 2022.
This historic decision to implement and adopt a “911 for mental health crisis” boosts awareness and memorability for the Lifeline, reduces stigma, and normalizes seeking help. The launch of 988 has dramatically increased the number of calls to the Lifeline network, formerly the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Lines for Life answers over 25,000 Oregon calls to the Lifeline each year, and this number only continues to grow.
We continue to advocate for local, state, and federal policies that will help to build an accessible and responsible system for behavioral health crisis response in Oregon and beyond.
Breaking the Silence: Transforming the way newsrooms think about, approach, and report on suicide and suicide prevention
Research shows that reporting responsibly on suicide can positively impact people at risk — promoting hope, encouraging help-seeking, and reducing stigma often associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
In April 2019, Lines for Life partnered with Oregon Public Broadcasting and other media partners to initiate a weeklong, statewide media blitz around suicide prevention stories, which resulted in almost 100 stories from nearly 40 newsrooms.
Read Breaking The Silence stories
Due to its tremendous success in Oregon, we are collaborating with nationwide partners to scale up Breaking the Silence for more communities.
Ongoing Legislative Advocacy
We work with bipartisan policy advocates at the state and federal levels to advance legislative policy that is research-driven and supports our mission – preventing substance abuse and suicide and promoting mental wellness.
We need your help! Your legislators need to hear about what these issues mean to you.
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Adi’s Act
In 2019, Lines for Life partnered with Basic Rights Oregon and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to promote the passage of Adi’s Act – a law that requires schools to create and maintain plans for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention in their school communities. See our work related to implementation here, on the School Suicide Prevention & Wellness page.