988 telecom fees tied to higher crisis funding

State allocations rose over 6 fiscal years but did not vary significantly by suicide death rate.

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State funding for suicide prevention and crisis services increased significantly from 2021 to 2026.
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States with enacted 988 telecom fees allocated over twice as much per capita for these services compared to states without such fees.
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A total of $7.25 billion was allocated for suicide prevention and crisis services across 306 state budgets during the study period.
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Mean per-capita funding rose from $1.05 in 2021 to $6.55 in 2025, before decreasing to $4.51 in 2026.
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The study found no significant association between state suicide death rates and funding allocations for suicide prevention services.

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