|
Index
| Advocate
| News
| Resources
|
GARRETT LEE SMITH MEMORIAL ACT SIGNED INTO
LAW
October 21, 2004
Lindsay Rubin
Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN) Applauds President Bush
for Signing Youth Suicide Prevention Bill
SPAN USA Urges Congress to Fully Appropriate Funding for Youth
Suicide Awareness and Prevention Programs
Washington, D.C. (October 21, 2004) – The Suicide Prevention
Action Network USA (SPAN USA) today applauded President Bush for
signing into law the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. The new law
amends the Public Health Act and authorizes $82 million over three
years to states, Indian tribes and colleges and universities for
the development of youth suicide prevention and intervention programs.
Suicide, the third-leading cause of death among young people, takes
the life of one person under the age of 25 every two hours and 15
minutes. One in 12 college students today has made a suicide plan.
The bill calls for early screening programs to identify mental illness
in children and provide treatment referrals, training for community
child-care professionals and the authorization of a Suicide Prevention
Resource Center, which will provide training and technical assistance
to states and other eligible entities.
Jerry Reed, executive director of SPAN USA, attended the bill-signing
ceremony, which took place in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
He applauded President Bush for his support of this vital piece
of legislation. “The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act is the
first authorization to be signed into law specifically for youth
suicide prevention. If fully funded, this bill can save the lives
of thousands of young people. In 2001, suicide, which is the third-leading
cause of death for individuals between the ages of 10-24, claimed
more than 4,000 young lives. SPAN USA will continue to work with
Congress to ensure full funding of this legislation and establish
mental health parity to ensure that all Americans have access to
mental health services.”
“Today is an important day for thousands of survivors, who
have fought hard to turn their loss into the prevention of someone
else’s,” Reed continued. “SPAN USA is thankful
for Senator Gordon Smith and his wife, Sharon Smith, for their courage
to turn their grief into action.”
For more information on suicide prevention, visit SPAN USA’s
website at www.spanusa.org or contact Lindsay Rubin at 202-715-1548
or lindsay.rubin@dittus.com.
SPAN USA is the nation’s only suicide prevention organization
dedicated to leveraging grassroots support among suicide survivors
and others to advance public policies that prevent suicide. Since
its founding nine years ago, SPAN USA has led the drive to make
suicide a public health priority by building political will and
calling for the development and implementation of a national strategy
for suicide prevention. Using its extensive grassroots network of
survivors and advocates, SPAN USA has actively promoted the cause
on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures.
|
