Canada’s 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline marks one year of support
Trained responders have answered more than 300,000 calls and texts nationally from people with concerns about suicide – including 4,400 calls fielded by the Quinte Health team.
Canada’s 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline is marking one year of providing people across the country access to life-saving support through three easy-to-remember numbers.
Since its launch on November 30, 2023, trained 9-8-8 responders have had hundreds of thousands of life-changing conversations with people across Canada who are thinking about suicide or worried about someone they know.
Over the past year, 9-8-8 responders have answered more than 300,000 calls and texts to the national helpline – that’s an average of nearly 1,000 per day. In Ontario, 9-8-8 responders have answered an average of around 12,000 calls and texts per month since the service launched.
9-8-8 provides urgent, live support by phone and text in English and French, 24/7/365. Quinte Health is one of nearly 40 local, provincial and national helplines across the country whose responders answer 9-8-8 calls. These responders are trained in suicide prevention and to listen with compassion and empathy. They give callers and texters space to share what they’re going through without being judged, offering culturally appropriate, lifesaving support to people in their most challenging moments.
“Every call answered by our 9-8-8 responders represents a moment of hope during someone’s darkest hour,” said Dr. Colin Macpherson, Psychiatrist and Chief of Staff, Quinte Health. “I am enormously proud of our team at Quinte Health for their unwavering compassion, skill, and dedication in providing this critical, life-saving service. Their work is a testament to the profound difference we can make when we listen and care deeply for those in need.”
Since launching, 9-8-8 has received many heartwarming messages from people sharing that they were glad they took that step to call or text for help. One caller, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared, “I called in distress. I spoke with a woman who was so kind, compassionate and attentive to me while I was speaking. I felt so much more stable afterwards because [she] was such a good listener.”
Suicide affects people of all ages and backgrounds. An average of 4,500 people across Canada die by suicide each year – approximately 12 people per day.
“Talking about suicide can be hard – but with three simple digits, 9-8-8 is making it easier to reach out for support,” said Dr. Allison Crawford, Chief Medical Officer of 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline. “In our second year, we want even more people to know about 9-8-8, so they can get the help they need. We’re asking everyone to play a part, by sharing those three simple numbers – 9-8-8 – wherever and with whoever they can.”
About Quinte Health
Quinte Health is a family of four hospitals—Belleville General Hospital, North Hastings Hospital, Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital and Trenton Memorial Hospital—that are working to “Create Healthier Communities. Together”.
The team of 2,600 staff and physicians provide care through four emergency departments, operating rooms at three hospitals, a rehabilitation day hospital, ambulatory care clinics, and a range of diagnostic services. There are more than 335 inpatient beds for acute medical patients, intensive care, obstetrics, paediatrics, mental health, complex continuing care, rehabilitation, and surgery. In addition, Quinte Health is proud to operate the Quinte Children’s Treatment Centre, community mental health programs, and to be a member of the Hastings Prince Edward Ontario Health Team.
Click here for more information about Quinte Health mental health services including the Crisis Intervention Centre.
About 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline
9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline is a national helpline for anyone in Canada who is thinking about suicide, or who is worried about someone they know. Help is available by phone and by text, in English and French, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 9-8-8 calls and texts are answered by trained responders at a network of local, provincial, territorial, and national crisis lines and helplines across the country. 9-8-8 is led and coordinated by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and funded by the Government of Canada.
