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92_HB4113 LRB9212764LDtm 1 AN ACT in relation to public health. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 5 Suicide Prevention and Treatment Act. 6 Section 5. Definitions. For the purpose of this Act, 7 unless the context otherwise requires: 8 The term "Council" means the Comprehensive Suicide 9 Prevention Strategy Council. 10 The term "Department" means the Department of Human 11 Services. 12 The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Human 13 Services. 14 Section 10. Findings. The General Assembly makes the 15 following findings: 16 (1) The Surgeon General of the United States has 17 described suicide prevention as a serious public health 18 priority, and has called upon each state to develop a 19 statewide comprehensive suicide prevention strategy using 20 a public health approach. Suicide now ranks eighth among 21 causes of death. 22 (2) In 1998, 1064 Illinoisans lost their lives to 23 suicide, an average of 3 Illinois residents per day. It 24 is estimated that there are between 20,000 and 35,000 25 suicide attempts in Illinois every year. Three and 1/2 26 percent of all suicides in the nation take place in 27 Illinois. 28 (3) Among older adults suicide rates are 29 increasing, making suicide the leading fatal injury among 30 the elderly population in Illinois. As the proportion of -2- LRB9212764LDtm 1 Illinois' population age 75 and older increases, the 2 number of suicides among persons in this age group will 3 also increase, unless an effective suicide prevention 4 strategy is implemented. 5 (4) Adolescents are far more likely to attempt 6 suicide than other age groups in Illinois. Data indicate 7 that there are 100 attempts for every adolescent suicide 8 completed. In 1998, 155 Illinois youths died by suicide. 9 Using this estimate, there were likely more than 15,500 10 suicide attempts made by Illinois adolescents, or 11 approximately 50% of all the estimated suicide attempts 12 that occurred in Illinois. 13 (5) Of all of the violent deaths associated with 14 schools nationwide since 1992, 14% were suicides. 15 (6) Homicide and suicide rank as the fourth and 16 fifth leading causes of death for youth, respectively. 17 Both are preventable. While the death rates for 18 unintentional injuries decreased by more than 35% between 19 1979 and 1996, the death rates for homicide and suicide 20 increased for youth. Evidence is growing in terms of the 21 links between suicide and other forms of violence. This 22 provides compelling reasons for broadening the State's 23 scope in identifying risk factors for self-harmful 24 behavior. The number of estimated youth suicide attempts 25 and the growing concerns of youth violence can best be 26 addressed through the implementation of successful 27 gatekeeper training programs to identify and refer youth 28 at risk for self-harmful behavior. 29 (7) The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) 30 conservatively estimates that the lives of at least 6 31 persons related to or connected to individuals who 32 attempt or complete suicide are impacted. Using these 33 estimates, in 1998 more than 275,000 Illinoisans 34 struggled to cope with the impact of suicide. -3- LRB9212764LDtm 1 (8) Decreases in alcohol and drug abuse, as well as 2 decreases in access to lethal means, significantly reduce 3 the number of suicides. 4 (9) Actual incidences of suicide attempts are 5 expected to be higher than reported because attempts not 6 requiring medical attention are not required to be 7 reported. The underreporting of suicide completion is 8 also likely because suicide classification involves 9 conclusions regarding the intent of the deceased. The 10 stigma associated with suicide is also likely to 11 contribute to underreporting. 12 (10) Without interagency collaboration and support 13 for proven, community-based, culturally competent suicide 14 prevention and intervention programs, the incidence of 15 occurrences of suicide is likely to rise. 16 (11) Emerging data on rates of suicide based on 17 gender, ethnicity, age, and geographic areas demand a new 18 strategy that responds to the needs of a diverse 19 population. 20 (12) According to Children's Safety Network 21 Economics Insurance, the cost of youth suicide acts by 22 persons in Illinois who are under 21 years of age totals 23 $539,000,000 including medical costs, future earnings 24 lost, and a measure of quality of life. 25 (13) Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death in 26 Illinois for persons between the ages of 15 and 24. 27 (14) In 1998 there were 1,116 homicides in 28 Illinois, which outnumbered suicides by only 52. Yet, so 29 far, only homicide has received funding, programs, and 30 media support. 31 (15) According to the 1999 national report on 32 statistics for suicide of the American Association of 33 Suicidology, categories of unintentional injury, motor 34 vehicle deaths, and all other deaths include many -4- LRB9212764LDtm 1 reported and unsubstantiated suicides that are not 2 identified correctly because of poor investigatory 3 techniques, unsophisticated inquest jurors, and stigmas 4 that cause families to cover up evidence. 5 (16) Programs for HIV infectious diseases are very 6 well-funded even though, in Illinois, HIV deaths numbers 7 fewer than 50% of suicide deaths. 8 Section 15. Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Strategy 9 Council. 10 (a) There is hereby created the Comprehensive Suicide 11 Prevention Strategy Council. The Council shall develop and 12 submit to the Governor and the General Assembly, by May 1, 13 2003, a statewide comprehensive suicide prevention strategy 14 that shall include specific measurable goals and proposed 15 timelines for reaching those goals. 16 (b) The Council shall consider, as a model for the 17 Illinois strategy, the United States Surgeon General's 18 National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The Council shall 19 review the statutorily prescribed missions of major State 20 mental health, health, aging, and school mental health 21 programs and recommend, as necessary and appropriate, 22 statutory changes to include suicide prevention in the 23 missions of those programs. The Council shall prepare a 24 report of that review, including its recommendations, and 25 shall submit the report to the Governor and the General 26 Assembly by May 1, 2003. 27 (c) The members of the Council shall be appointed by the 28 Secretary. The membership of the Council shall include all of 29 the following: 30 (1) One representative of a statewide organization 31 that advocates for the prevention of suicide and 32 improvement of mental health treatment or provides 33 suicide prevention or survivor support services. -5- LRB9212764LDtm 1 (2) The Secretary, or his or her designee. 2 (3) The State Superintendent of Education, or his 3 or her designee. 4 (4) The Director of Aging, or his or her designee. 5 (5) The Director of Corrections, or his or her 6 designee. 7 (6) One representative of a county mental health 8 department. 9 (7) One representative of a county health 10 department. 11 (8) One representative of local law enforcement. 12 (d) The council shall initially meet no later than 13 January 10, 2003. The council shall cease to exist as of 14 January 1, 2004, unless subsequent legislation is enacted to 15 extend that date. 16 Section 20. Youth and older adult suicide prevention 17 pilot programs. 18 (a) The Department shall establish, no later than June 19 30, 2003, 5 pilot programs that provide training and 20 establish programs relating to youth and older adult suicide 21 prevention to demonstrate the effectiveness of youth and 22 older adult suicide prevention programs. The pilot programs 23 shall be operational for 2 years. At least 2 of the pilot 24 programs shall be targeted toward youth suicide prevention 25 and at least 2 shall be targeted toward suicide prevention in 26 older adults. At least one of the youth pilot programs shall 27 be established according to the model youth suicide 28 prevention program jointly developed by the United States 29 Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health 30 Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the 31 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The 32 Secretary is encouraged to ensure that the pilot programs 33 include at least one of the following prevention strategies: -6- LRB9212764LDtm 1 (1) School gatekeeper training. 2 (2) Community gatekeeper training. 3 (3) General community suicide prevention 4 education. 5 (4) Screening programs. 6 (5) Peer support programs. 7 (6) Twenty-four hour crisis centers and 8 hotlines. 9 (7) Means restrictions. 10 (8) Interventions after a suicide. 11 (b) The funds appropriated for purposes of this Section 12 shall be allocated by the Department on a competitive basis 13 that shall include consideration of different rates of risk 14 of suicide based on age, ethnicity, gender, prevalence of 15 mental health disorders, and different rates of suicide based 16 on geographic areas in Illinois. 17 (c) The Department shall prepare a report as to the 18 effectiveness of the pilot programs established pursuant to 19 this Section. The Department shall submit that report to the 20 Governor and General Assembly no later than June 30, 2005.