--- title: HR 713. Healthcare providers; help promote 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr713 cite_as: HR 713, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr713 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr713.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr713/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71615 date: 2026-03-31 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr712.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr714.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 415 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr713.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 713 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-31 last_action: House Passed/Adopted sponsors: - Will Wade - Deborah Silcox - Rob Clifton - Inga Willis - Johnny Chastain - Omari Crawford text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR713/2025 upstream_id: 2014711 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - mental health - suicide prevention - 988 crisis line - healthcare providers - public health awareness --- # HR 713. Healthcare providers; help promote 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; urge ## Text House Resolution 713 By: Representatives Wade of the 9th, Silcox of the 53rd, Clifton of the 131st, Willis of the 55th, Chastain of the 7th, and others A RESOLUTION Urging healthcare providers across the State of Georgia to help promote the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, behavioral health conditions, including mental and substance use disorders, are critical public health issues, and 988 was established to improve access to crisis services in response to the country's growing suicide and mental health-related crisis care needs; and WHEREAS, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a direct, national three-digit number that connects individuals with suicide prevention and mental health crisis resources, which are distinct from the public safety purposes of 911; and WHEREAS, 988 calls, texts, and chats in the State of Georgia are answered by the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities is working with a coalition of community partners to educate the public on when and how to use 988; and WHEREAS, healthcare providers often use recorded messages to convey important information to patients, including guidance on when to call 911. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body urge healthcare providers in the State of Georgia to include information about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the recorded information provided to their patients and other callers. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body further urge the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to work with its community partners to develop a script that healthcare providers can use to include information about 988 as part of their recorded messages. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the public, and the press. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges healthcare providers statewide to promote the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by including information about it in recorded phone messages to patients. ### Plain-language summary This resolution addresses how Georgians learn about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a national three-digit number that connects callers to suicide prevention and mental health crisis resources, separate from 911. In Georgia, 988 calls, texts, and chats are answered around the clock by the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL). The resolution urges healthcare providers across the state to include information about 988 in the recorded messages patients and other callers hear. It also urges the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to work with community partners to develop a sample script providers could use for this purpose. It directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the department, the public, and the press. ### What it does - Urges Georgia healthcare providers to add information about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to their recorded phone messages for patients and callers. - Urges the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to work with community partners to create a script providers can use for this purpose. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the department, the public, and the press. - Does not create any legal requirement, funding, or penalty; it expresses the House's position rather than changing Georgia law. ### Who it affects Healthcare providers in Georgia who use recorded phone messages for patients, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and its community partners, and members of the public who may call providers' offices and could benefit from hearing about the 988 crisis line. ### Why it matters If providers adopt the suggestion, more Georgians calling their doctor's office or another healthcare line could learn about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline as an alternative to 911 for mental health and suicide crises, potentially increasing awareness and use of the service. ### Key provisions - First resolution clause urges healthcare providers statewide to include 988 information in recorded messages given to patients and other callers. - Second resolution clause urges the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to develop, with community partners, a script providers can use for this messaging. - Third resolution clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the department, the public, and the press. - The whereas clauses note that 988 calls in Georgia are answered by the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-31) - Last action: House Passed/Adopted (2026-03-31) - Sponsors: Will Wade, Deborah Silcox, Rob Clifton, Inga Willis, Johnny Chastain, Omari Crawford - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71615 > The history, votes, and amendments (415 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr713.md?full=1