At the Lehigh County Crisis Intervention Center, a staff of local counselors takes around 3,500 calls a year from 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Before the center opened last year, local calls were routed to Butler County, nearly 300 miles away.
The 2026-27 Pennsylvania budget delivers $10 million for 988, the first state funding ever dedicated to the lifeline. Governor Josh Shapiro discussed the victory Friday.
“These funds will help us work toward doubling the number of centers that can handle chat and text from three right now, hopefully to six”
Data shows that 500,000 adults and 130,000 adolescents in Pennsylvania have serious thoughts of suicide every year. Pennsylvania’s call centers took 145,000 calls last year, and since launching text services in 2023, 5,000 chats are received every month.
But 988 services have been shown to make a difference, with suicides among 15-34 year-olds 11% lower after the lifeline launched, and an estimated 4,372 lives saved.
“Government, when done right, can do a world of good. We can improve lives, fund the brave work of all of you here, and make sure that 988 operators have the tools, the training, and the support that they need to be the light of darkness in someone’s worst moment.”
That’s Representative Mike Schlossberg, who has used his own experience with mental illness to fuel his push for statewide mental health services.
“To the average person, it simply means that your call is going to be answered faster, and it means someone will be able to connect with a trained counselor who can provide that life-saving assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”
The budget also includes $5 million for walk-in behavioral health crisis stabilization centers, particularly in regions with limited access to immediate, in-person care.
