JAMA Netw Open. 2026 May 1;9(5):e2610789. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.10789.
ABSTRACT
IMPORTANCE: The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (998 Lifeline) receives millions of contacts annually. Adequate staffing of 988 Lifeline centers may be important for timely, high-quality service, but little information exists on current staffing levels or difficulties.
OBJECTIVES: To describe 988 Lifeline center staffing and assess staffing-related difficulties.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this cross-sectional study, a survey was fielded between May 6 and July 25, 2025, to all 206 centers in the 988 Lifeline network in the US and territories. Eligible respondents were individuals in leadership positions (eg, executive directors, vice presidents).
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The survey measured staffing levels, shift coverage, modalities (telephone, text, and/or chat), operation of non-988 lines (eg, 211, local lines), proportions of paid and volunteer staff, remote and/or in-person work arrangements, and 4 domains of staffing difficulty: adequate staffing for the volume of contacts, acquiring funding to hire, recruiting staff, and retaining staff. Responses were linked with administrative data on location, presence of state 988 telecommunications fees, and subnetwork services (eg, national backup, Spanish language).
RESULTS: Leaders at 159 of the 206 centers completed the survey (77% response rate), 71% (102 of 144) reported that their center was understaffed, and 89% (141 of 159) indicated difficulty acquiring resources to hire. Leaders at centers offering remote work reported greater difficulty in obtaining these resources compared with centers without remote work (94% [89 of 95] vs 81% [50 of 62]; odds ratio [OR], 3.40; 95% CI, 1.21-9.68; P = .02) but less difficulty recruiting staff (76% [72 of 95] vs 89% [55 of 62]; OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.14-0.98; P = .04). Respondents from centers with all paid staff reported greater difficulty recruiting compared with centers using at least some volunteers (86% [102 of 118] vs 66% [27 of 41]; OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.42-7.60; P = .006). Leaders at centers handling only 988 contacts reported less difficulty retaining staff than those also handling non-988 lines (63% [17 of 27] vs 83% [109 of 132]; OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.14-0.92; P = .03). Wide 95% CIs indicate uncertainty in the magnitude of these results.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cross-sectional survey study of 988 Lifeline leaders, results suggested that most centers struggled to find resources to keep the center fully staffed. If staffing challenges persist, centers could face risks to staff well-being and service quality. Financing and operational strategies that support recruitment and retention will be critical to sustaining the quality and accessibility of 988 Lifeline centers.
PMID:42084871 | DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.10789
