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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today joined leaders from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) and the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF) to unveil a new specialty license plate intended to increase awareness of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
The easy-to-remember, three-digit 988 Lifeline launched nationwide in July 2022 and provides free and confidential support 24/7 to Ohioans experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Ohio’s 19 call centers have responded to nearly 538,000 contacts including calls, texts, and chats, and are now averaging more than 19,500 contacts each month. Most of those calls are answered in-state by fellow Ohioans with only about 1 percent of calls rolling over to a national backup provider.
OSPF championed the specialized plate after being approached by Chip and Debbie McClintock of northeast Ohio who were impacted by the deaths of two loved ones to suicide. This prompted a signature-gathering effort to encourage state lawmakers to create a specialty license plate dedicated to suicide prevention. Governor DeWine signed Senate Bill 163 earlier this year, which officially established the 988 license plate.