ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Violence Policy Center estimates 1,200 Americans die in murder-suicides each year. 

  • Could new 3-digit hotline help curb suicides
  • A suicide every three hours, on average, in Florida
  • CDC - Leading causes of death
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-TALK (8255)

But suicide itself – is far more common, even though you don’t hear about it every day on the news.

So, could a new 3-digit hotline help prevent someone from taking their own life? 

Lawmakers are hoping that it can.

Two new bills in the works are aimed at addressing suicide. 

When celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain committed suicide many were in shock, but that same week nearly 1,000 people took their lives by suicide and sadly those numbers aren’t slowing down.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, in 2016. Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of nearly 45,000 people.

And that’s why lawmakers are looking into whether there should be a 911 type of phone service that’s strictly for suicide prevention.

Here in Florida, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. 

On average, someone every three hours in Florida dies by suicide and those rates have increased over the past decade. 

Across the nation suicide is up by 30 percent. 

To bring that rate down, law makers want to make the suicide prevention hotline phone number just as memorable as 911, so that more people will know who to call if they need help. 

"We need a system in this country that’s 24-7," said John Madigan with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. "Apple to apple, with people on the ground in each state that are aware of the local resources." 

Recently lawmakers in both the house and senate introduced bills aimed at improving the current suicide prevention hotline. 

Right now callers must dial a 1-800-number to reach the hotline. But Congress wants the Federal Communications Commission to look into creating a 3-digit code for the hotline that’s similar to 9-1-1, or 4-1-1.

These new bills also want the FCC to look into how helpful the hotline actually is, especially when it comes to veterans. 

But, a new number is only part of it.

If this resolution passes the Trump Administration would have a few months to come up with specific recommendations on how to upgrade the hotline.