Contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will be easier starting in July, when its 10-digit number changes to the three-digit dialing code 988 — and Colorado is getting funding to support the change.

The Department of Health and Human Services, through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will fund a total of $282 million to implement 988 as the new lifeline and to help strengthen crisis call centers. Colorado will receive up to $2.4 million in funds, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, announced in a news release Monday.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a network of more than 180 local crisis centers across the U.S, offering 24/7 free and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

Callers are first routed to their local lifeline network crisis center, where trained crisis workers assess callers for suicidal risk, provide crisis counseling and offer referrals to behavioral health and emergency services when necessary, according to the lifeline's website. If a local center cannot answer a call, it is rerouted to a national backup center.

By changing the lifeline from its current 10-digit number (800-273-8255) to the three-digit 988 dialing code, officials aim to make the lifeline and mental health support more accessible, the Department of Health and Human Services said Monday in a news release. The 988 dialing code will be available for calls, texts or chat messages starting July 16.

"We know that remembering a three-digit number beats a 10-digit number any day, particularly in times of crisis, and I encourage every state to rev up planning to implement 988 for the sake of saving lives," said Xavier Becerra, the Health and Human Services secretary, in the release.

In Colorado, there is one lifeline-affiliated center, the Denver-based Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners. Colorado's 2020 lifeline report stated the national lifeline network received nearly 2.4 million crisis calls across the U.S, and 51,557 of them were from Colorado. Only 79% of Lifeline's calls in Colorado, however, were answered in-state in 2020, the report stated, citing funding and staffing levels as limiting factors.

Supporting local call centers is one of the goals of the $282 million investment, which amounts to more than 10 times what the 2021 fiscal year budget amounted to, at $24 million, the federal agency said in its news release. The heightened funding was allocated in the American Rescue Plan Act and fiscal year 2022 appropriations, Bennet said in his statement.

More than half the funds, at $177 million, will go toward strengthening and expanding the existing Lifeline network operations, such as the telephone infrastructure and a sub-network for Spanish speakers. The remaining $105 million is dedicated to expanding staffing across states' local crisis call centers.

The additional support comes as local call centers report higher needs, as Colorado's lifeline call volume increased by 116% since 2016, according to its 2020 report.

Suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S in 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported, with one death every 11 minutes. In Colorado, more than 1,280 people died by suicide in 2019, a record high, and it was identified as the leading cause of death for youth in Colorado.

"Everywhere I go in Colorado, I hear how our country's mental and behavioral health crisis is only getting worse," said Bennet, who co-sponsored the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act in December 2019. "Shortening the suicide prevention lifeline to expand its services and reach is a strong step toward making mental health support more accessible to Coloradans and addressing the crisis. I'm glad our state will receive this critical funding to help make this a swift and easy transition."

While awaiting the 988 number change, those interested in contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can do so by calling 1-800-273-8255 or using the online chat function.