To reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for mental health crises, it now takes only three digits: 988.

On Saturday, Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit that operates the lifeline on behalf of the US Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), launched the 988 dialing code available to everyone across the United States.

So far, the dialing code to reach the lifeline has been 1-800-273-TALK, which will remain operational during the current expansion to 988. Text messages can be sent to the three-digit number as well.

Veterans can now dial 988 and press 1 to reach the Veteran Crisis Line.

"One of the goals of 988 is to ensure that people get the help that they need when they need it, where they need it. And so, when a person calls 988, they can expect to have a conversation with a trained, compassionate crisis counselor who will talk with them about what they're experiencing. If it's the case that they need further intervention, then likely the crisis counselor will connect with a local mobile crisis team," Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, the administrator of SAMHSA, said earlier this month during a call with reporters.

"Some of the goal is to, where possible, minimize unnecessary contact or connection with police departments when what a person needs is connecting with either a mobile crisis worker or anyone within the mental health and behavioral health system of care," she added.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has been in operation since 2005 and is funded by SAMHSA.

In 2020, the US Federal Communications Commission's five leaders unanimously voted to finalize 988 as the three-digit number Americans can dial to be connected to the existing lifeline's network of trained counselors.

That year, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 became law, amending the Communications Act of 1934 to designate 988 as "the universal telephone number for the purpose of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system operating through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and through the Veterans Crisis Line, and for other purposes."

As 988 will become an easier number to remember for mental health crises -- similar to how people can dial 911 for medical emergencies -- there has been growing concern among leading mental health and suicide prevention groups that 988 call centers may not be ready to handle an anticipated influx of calls.

The call line received 3.6 million calls, chats and texts in 2021, and that number is expected to double in the first full year after the 988 transition, according to SAMHSA.

Bob Gebbia, the CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, told CNN that a "big concern is that the demands might outstrip the capacity very quickly and these centers will be overwhelmed."

"When that happens, then calls get dropped, waiting times go up, and the individuals who are on the other end and struggling don't get the connection they need," Gebbia said.

Since the FCC's approval in 2020 of 988, the federal government and Vibrant have been gearing up for the nationwide implementation of the three-digit number by providing grants to states to support call centers and actively trying to recruit more crisis counselors.

People who are interested in learning more can visit the SAMHSA website.

As the nation struggles to get a handle on the novel coronavirus pandemic and confronts the issues of police reform and systemic racism, some of the country’s mental health hotlines are seeing a growing number of calls.

“We have seen an exponential increase in the demand for mental health services,” said Kimberly Williams, with Vibrant Emotional Health.

A recent survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that nearly half, approximately 45 percent, of American adults said their mental health has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus.

Yet, mental health hotlines are 10-digits long, can be hard to remember and impede access to immediate help.

“I say the road to seeking mental health services is paved in Swiss cheese,” said Becky Stoll of Centerstone, which focuses on behavioral health services. “And if you don't know how to get yourself around some of those holes, it's tough.”

One solution is to make the National Suicide Prevention hotline a simple, three-digit number: 988.

Late last year, the Federal Communications Commission recommended the number become a national crisis hotline.

“It's just going to be transformative, if we can get it done,” Stoll said.

It’s an effort that’s slowly gaining traction on Capitol Hill because of COVID-19.

A recent letter, signed by a bi-partisan group of Senate and House members, calls for any future coronavirus-related stimulus bill to include funding for 988. Congress could take up another stimulus bill later this summer.

“988 would essentially destigmatize mental health and suicide by promoting easily accessible, help-seeking behavior and ultimately save lives,” Williams said.

This, as lives around the nation continues to be impacted by tumultuous events and a pandemic, with no vaccine available yet.

“We don't know how long it's going to go,” Stoll said. “So, I think we're going to see more and more people, who've not [had] access behavioral health services in the past, need to do that.”

If you are suffering from mental health distress or need counseling, there are several numbers you can call for help.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or text ‘HOME’ to 741741

The Disaster Distress Helpline, for calls related to COVID-19: 1-800-985-5990, or text TalkWithUs to 66746

The Veterans Crisis Line, for veterans in crisis: 1-800-273-8255 and press 1 or text 838255.

The TrevorLifeline, for those who identify as part of the LGBTQ community: 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678

For Frontline workers who have emotional or mental health needs: text FRONTLINE to 741741