A new study published in JAMA reports that the U.S. 988 suicide and crisis lifeline is associated with an 11% reduction in suicide deaths among 15- to 23-year-olds compared with expected deaths during the first 2.5 years after launch. Researchers modeled mortality using nationwide death-certificate records (1999–2022) to estimate what would have happened without 988 and compared those estimates with observed deaths. Lead author Dr. Vishal Patel of Harvard Medical School said the reductions align with the scale of federal investment in suicide prevention. The report also highlights a continuing policy problem: long-term funding uncertainty for 988. For universities, the results strengthen the case for campus mental health infrastructure and referral pathways linked to crisis services—even as budget stability remains a looming operational risk.