Due to widespread suicide cases, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline was relaunched earlier in 2022 with a three-digit number. The federal aid aims to help expand the system of trained volunteers and mental health professionals.

The New York City Council recently approved legislation for bill 610-A to mandate the distribution of information on the new lifeline number to all NYC public schools. 

According to the NYC Council, council member Erik Bottcher is the sponsor of the introduction to 610-A, which would mandate the Department of Education to inform students about suicide prevention annually. The information includes the new lifeline number, 988, warning signs, and other prevention resources.

WJPS freshman Melissa Montoya stated, “The Introduction 610-A can be helpful for ones who feel wanting to commit suicide. Giving them support can help them and give them internal support.” 

Another WJPS freshman, Daniela Vicente, stated, “People will get help because of those resources and get an idea of where they should go for help. This is a great idea since many teens nowadays have some signals of suicide by all the factors.”