The number of Ohioans who died by suicide increased by two percent in 2022, according to new data from the Ohio Department of Health.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has expanded services and continued to answer millions of calls, texts and chats from people experiencing mental health or substance use crises since its launch on July 16, 2022, the agency heads for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced this week. HHS has invested nearly $1.5 billion into 988 as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive strategy to address the nation’s mental health and substance use crises.

In recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is encouraging increased public awareness and usage of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week announced the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s addition of nationwide American Sign Language (ASL) services for people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, as part of ongoing efforts to expand accessibility to behavioral health care for underserved communities.