Oregon Senator Pushes Congress to Prevent Youth Suicide

Tragically, youth suicide takes the lives of more than 3,000 children each year.

Salem-News.com

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Oregon Senator Gordon Smith joined his colleagues Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Jack Reed (D-RI) in introducing legislation designed to prevent youth suicide through programs supported by the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act.

Originally passed in 2002, the GLSMA authorized the creation of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, which provides support, training and resources for the development of youth suicide prevention programs across the country.

Funding for programs supported by the GLSMA must be reauthorized this year.

“Programs through Garrett’s bill are an important step on a journey we must take to prioritizing mental health and human life in this county,” said Senator Smith. “Millions of young people from every corner of our nation are struggling against a mental illness. Without proper access to care, all too often this illness can take over and result in suicide. We have a responsibility to ensure that those in need are never forced to suffer in silence by offering access to proper care. We have made great strides with the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, but there is much work that remains. It is so vitally important that we reauthorize and fully fund Garrett’s bill to ensure more programs are in place across the country to provide care to those in need.”

Tragically, youth suicide takes the lives of more than 3,000 children each year - making suicide the third leading cause of death for children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24.

The GLSMA provides federal grants to promote the development of statewide suicide early intervention and prevention strategies intended to identify and reach out to young people who need mental health services.

In addition, this bill makes available competitive grants to colleges and universities to create or enhance the schools’ mental and behavioral health programs.

Funds are used to help raise awareness and educate people about mental illness and the risk of suicide, help identify young people with mental illnesses and allow states to expand access to treatment options.

The GLSMA would authorize $210 million in competitive grants to help states and tribes develop and implement early intervention and prevention strategies, and $31 million in grants to colleges and universities to support on-campus mental health programs.

In 2003, Senator Smith and his wife Sharon lost their son Garrett, for whom the bill is named after, to suicide after many years of suffering from a mental illness.