Emergency and crisis numbers · St. Louis
Emergency & crisis resources
For a medical emergency in St. Louis, call 911. For thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, call or text 988; veterans and service members press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line, free and confidential around the clock. Valor Medica is not an emergency department.
If this is an emergency, stop reading and use one of the numbers below.
Immediate danger, or thoughts of suicide
Call or text 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Veterans and service members press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. Free, confidential, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org, or for the Veterans Crisis Line, text 838255.
Medical emergency
Call 911.
Chest pain, difficulty breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, a head injury, overdose, stroke symptoms, or any injury you would not walk away from. Valor Medica is not an emergency department and cannot function as one.
Which crisis and help lines are open 24 hours?
| If you need | Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Suicide & Crisis Lifeline | 988 (call or text) | Veterans press 1 |
| Veterans Crisis Line | 988 then 1, or text 838255 | You do not need to be enrolled in VA care |
| Medical emergency | 911 | Ambulance, police, fire |
| Overdose reversal | 911 | Missouri’s Good Samaritan protections apply — call, and stay |
| Domestic violence | 1-800-799-7233 | National hotline, 24 hours; text START to 88788 |
| Sexual assault | 1-800-656-4673 | National hotline, 24 hours |
| Shelter, food, utilities | 211 | United Way referral line for the region |
| Poison control | 1-800-222-1222 | 24 hours |
What should I do if I find someone sleeping outside?
If they are in immediate medical danger, call 911. If they are in mental health crisis, call or text 988.
If it is not an emergency but they need shelter, food, first aid or a route indoors, contact Valor Villages at (314) 714-0902. Their outreach teams work the camps and the bridges and will know the area.
Please do not post the location of someone sleeping outside on social media. Publishing where unhoused people sleep puts them at risk of assault and of having their belongings destroyed.
In extreme weather
St. Louis opens additional emergency shelter capacity during heat and cold emergencies. 211 has the current list, updated daily — it changes, so a number here would be wrong within a week.
If you are a veteran and hesitating
Discharge status does not disqualify you from the Veterans Crisis Line, and you do not need to be enrolled in VA healthcare to call it. If one bad experience years ago convinced you that you are not eligible for anything, that conclusion is worth re-checking with someone.
When the emergency has passed
Crisis lines end the emergency. They do not treat what caused it. When you are ready, we can start on that part.
If this is an emergency
Call 911, or go to the nearest emergency department. This service is not an emergency service and nothing on this page should delay that call.
Crisis lines
- 988 — Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24 hours, call or text.
- 988, then press 1 — Veterans Crisis Line.
- 1-800-273-8255 — the legacy Lifeline number, still answered.
When should you go to the ER instead of waiting?
Chest pain, difficulty breathing, sudden weakness or numbness on one side, confusion, trouble speaking, uncontrolled bleeding, a fever with a spreading wound, or thoughts of harming yourself or someone else. Any of those is a reason to go now rather than to send a form.
What if you are not sure it is an emergency?
Err toward being seen. Nobody who arrives at an emergency department and turns out to be fine has made a mistake, and the cost of guessing wrong in the other direction is much higher.
Cold weather when you are living outside lists the signs that mean call now.
Frequently asked questions
What is a crisis hotline?
A crisis hotline is a phone, text or chat line staffed around the clock for someone in immediate distress. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It is free and confidential, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and you can also chat at 988lifeline.org. Veterans and service members press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.
What is the difference between 988 and 211?
988 is for thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis; veterans press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. 211 is the United Way referral line for the region, for shelter, food and utilities. During heat and cold emergencies, 211 also keeps the current list of extra emergency shelter, updated daily. For a medical emergency, skip both and call 911.
How do veterans reach the Veterans Crisis Line?
Dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. It is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day. You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care to call, and your discharge status does not disqualify you. If one bad experience years ago convinced you that you are not eligible for anything, call anyway and let someone re-check that.