Phone customers who live in the 845 and 914 area codes will have to dial ten digits to make a local phone call starting this weekend.
Parts of southern Columbia and Greene counties are listed in the 845 area code.
The change is due to a new requirement by the Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC designated 988 as a new three-digit number to be used nationwide to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline.
The new 988 emergency number will work the same way 911 does but deal specifically with people who are suicidal.
Since 988 is an exchange that is used in the Hudson Valley, if you called someone with a number that starts with those digits, you would automatically go to the suicide hotline instead of the number you intended to call.
Beginning Sunday, local calls dialed with only seven digits may not be completed. Callers will hear a recording that says their call cannot be completed as dialed. If callers hear this recording, they must hang up and dial again using the area code and the seven-digit number.
The rest of Columbia and Greene counties went through the same procedure beginning Aug. 19, 2017, when all local calls in the 518 area code required the caller to dial the area code before the phone number. The change in 518 though, was due to a shortage of available phone numbers. The growing population used up all available numbers, so a second area code was added in the 518 zone. The second area code was designated as 838.
The national suicide prevention hotline will go live on July 16, 2022. After that date, anyone who calls 988 will be directed to the crisis center. Until then, those who need their services should continue to call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).