Congressman Mark DeSaulnier announced the introduction of the Suicide Prevention Assistance Act (H.R. 4353), which establishes a new grant program at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to expand suicide prevention efforts for adults in doctor’s offices and other primary care settings.
“In 2017 more than 47,000 people tragically took their own life making suicide one of the leading causes of death across the nation. With 45% of individuals who die by suicide having visited their primary care physician within a month of their death, the Suicide Prevention Assistance Act fills a vital role in addressing this public health concern by providing primary care offices the tools and resources they need to effectively reach patients and provide them with the critical assistance they need,” said Colleen Creighton, Executive Director of the American Association of Suicidology.
H.R. 4353 creates grants to have an on-site mental health professional assist when necessary in primary care settings, helps connect patients with additional long-term mental health care, and requires SAMHSA to develop best practices for screening for self-harm and suicide prevention.
Good starting point.
I look forward to Republicans and the NRA getting behind this movement and seeking to ensure it has proper funding as they keep telling us we have a “Mental Health Crises”
Time to Put Up or Shut Up.
Triggered.
No, the starting point is to read the bill (which hasn’t been printed by the Government Printing Office as of today) to follow the money.
Suicide prevention legislations goes back nearly a decade.
So where were you then?
Quit spending my money, unless it’s for the WALL.
.
And I look forward to the DNC and pearl clutchers understanding that firearms are inanimate tools that, like so many other tools, can be dangerous.
His usual fluff job. Where do all these ‘mental health professionals’ come from, how are they deployed? How about the thousands of veteran who die every year. What about the opioid epidemic ? The homeless issue ? Is it too much to ask for congress critters to quit chasing the Trump Unicorn and get down to the Country’s business.
Forty five percent of the people who committed suicide were at their primary care doctor within a month of their suicide. Now that is an amazing statistic.
I imagine this bill will allow doctors to give them the drugs they went to the doctors to get but didn’t so they found another way. Why would you go to the doctor to find out if you are healthy enough to commit suicide. The other story could be they went to the doctor and found out they were terminal.
What are you saying? Mark you are doing a fantastic job. Ignorance prevails in these bizarre comments for sure. Keep up your phenomenal work.
Kaiser has all of those resources and more in place available.