Louisiana marks National 988 Day with awareness event

State officials and mental health advocacy groups gathered Tuesday at the Capitol Gardens to spread awareness for Louisiana’s 988 mental health hotline, coinciding with National 988 Day. 

Southern University’s Human Jukebox Marching Band provided the event’s soundtrack, surrounded by colorful pop-up tents with stickers, buttons and miniature fans spreading the word about the 988 hotline and other behavioral health support programs available across the state. 

Three years ago, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline converted to a 3-digit shortcode from the previous 10-digit, 1-800 number established in 2005. The national network consists of more than 200 crisis centers supported by local, state and federal resources. The hotline provides 24/7 confidential support to people in suicidal, mental health and substance misuse crises.  

“Reaching out to 988 is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength. It is a sign of caring for yourself, for your family, and for your community,” said Holly Howat, assistant secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Behavioral Services. 

Howat shared her own experience reaching out to 988 during a family crisis, saying the stigma around mental health services can be hard to overcome. 

“It’s not something that comes up in conversation, and I think sometimes people think ‘That’s for somebody else. That’s not for me,’” she said in a follow-up interview, adding that the event sought to “normalize” reaching out for help.  

National 988 Day events unfold as the Trump administration has said it intends to reverse course on changes made last year to hotline policy. In June 2025, the White House announced it would eliminate the “Press 3” option for LGBTQ+ youth in crisis, explaining that it had run out of funding. 

Congress has since allocated $33 million for LGBTQ+ youth in need of assistance, and U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in April the original service will be restored to the hotline. An exact timeline for the return of the “Press 3” option remains unclear.

LGBTQ+ youth are up to four times more likely to commit suicide compared with their peers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. 

“This help is for all Louisianians, no matter your race, your age, your gender, your sexual orientation. This number is for everybody, and so we really want to emphasize that,” Howat said when asked about how Louisiana has handled removal of the “Press 3” option on the 988 line.

Quinetta Womack, Behavioral Services’ deputy assistant secretary, said the health department is trying new ways to reach people and spread awareness about its programs that support mental health. 

“We need to saturate Louisiana. We need to saturate the nation and help them understand,” Womack said.