When the call center opened in July 2022, it received just 490 calls that month. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has experienced a 212% increase in calls since opening in Rhode Island in 2022, state officials announced Sept. 8. When the call center opened in July 2022, it received just 490 calls that month. But in 2020, Sen. Jack Reed (RI-D) co-sponsored legislation to adopt the three-digit 988 Lifeline in an effort to make mental health services more accessible. Goodspeed cited “media campaigns and increased need from Rhode Islanders,” as well as the accessibility of the three-digit number, as reasons for the increase in 988 calls.