A JAMA study reported that suicide deaths among 15- to 23-year-olds were 11% lower than expected after the launch of the 988 lifeline, using nationwide death certificate records from 1999 to 2022. Researchers estimate nearly 4,400 fewer deaths than projected in the first two-and-a-half years of the program. The findings, led by Dr. Vishal Patel of Harvard Medical School, compared modeled outcomes to observed suicide mortality, and also examined whether states with larger call-volume increases after 988 launched saw greater reductions in deaths. The study reported larger gaps in expected versus actual deaths in those states, with effects appearing stronger among younger people. The research stops short of attributing causation solely to 988, but it adds evidence that crisis counseling access can change outcomes. Separately, the broader federal funding landscape remains uncertain, even as advocates and clinicians say the initial results are “very heartening” and align with prior research.