Study of Suicide Prevention
Summary
The Legislative Commission, at its meeting on September 6, 2001, created an interim subcommittee, comprised of four Senators and four Assembly members, to study suicide prevention in Nevada.
The Subcommittee held a total of five meetings, including the final meeting and work session, during the course of the study. Except for a meeting held in Reno, these public hearings were conducted through simultaneous videoconferences between legislative meeting rooms at the Legislative Building in Carson City and the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas.
During the course of this interim study, the Subcommittee obtained extensive expert and public testimony concerning Nevada’s high rate of suicide, which is consistently the highest rate of any state in the nation, and the need for effective suicide prevention programs. It received testimony and correspondence from concerned citizens, clergy, educators, surviving family members of suicide victims, national and local suicide prevention advocates, medical researchers, licensed health care providers, law enforcement officials, emergency and fire service personnel, retired persons, and representatives from various public health and mental health agencies. Federal, state, and local officials contributed significant information and suggestions throughout the study.
At its final meeting and work session, the Subcommittee adopted 19 recommendations, including four bill draft requests (BDRs), for consideration by the 2003 Legislature. The recommendations address the following major topics:
- Developing and Implementing a Nevada State Suicide Prevention Plan and Program;
- Improving Local Suicide Prevention Services;
- Enhancing Suicide Prevention Education and Training for Key Gatekeepers;
- Addressing Suicide Prevention in Public Schools;
- Increasing State Mental Health Services; and
- Recognizing the Relationship of Substance Abuse and Other Co-Occurring Disorders to Suicide.
The Subcommittee’s final report contains an overview of the interim study and a discussion of each of the topics under which the Subcommittee made its recommendations.