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NC ready for launch of new national suicide and crisis lifeline

Starting on Saturday, 9-8-8 will replace the current phone number of 1-800-273-TALK (8255). AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File

A new national suicide prevention lifeline will launch on Saturday. State health officials are making preparations to help meet the needs of North Carolinians.

The new suicide and crisis line number is 9-8-8. The goal is to create a faster, easier way for someone to get the mental health support that they need. It provides immediate access to live counselors 24/7.

The three-digit number also connects callers to help in their local community based on each person's specific needs.

For a decade, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with REAL Crisis Intervention in Greenville to operate the State's Suicide Prevention Lifeline call center. As the number changes to 9-8-8, chat and text response will also be available around the clock.

Agency officials say they've been preparing for the 9-8-8 launch with local partners thanks to a federal grant and funding from the state budget.

According to a press release, the new line is expected to bring up to 30% more calls per year, because it is easier to remember and access. NCDHHS says the state call center is adding more staff to make sure it is ready to handle the additional volume. 

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news 

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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