[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 3, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2723-S2724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself and Mr. Donnelly):
  S. 1015. A bill to require the Federal Communications Commission to 
study the feasibility of designating a simple, easy-to-remember dialing 
code to be used for a national suicide prevention and mental health 
crisis hotline system; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the epidemic of 
suicide--a growing crisis that has devastated millions of families 
across our Nation. Over the past 8 years, the rate of deaths by suicide 
in our country has tripled. Let me repeat that. It has tripled, and the 
problem is particularly severe among young adults.
  According to the Centers for Disease Control, for youth between the 
ages of 10 and 24, suicide is now the third leading cause of death. In 
other words, more of America's youth die each year from suicide than 
cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, 
influenza, and chronic lung disease combined.
  This crisis shows no signs of abating. Consider that each day in our 
Nation, there are an average of over 5,400 suicide attempts by young 
people in grades 7 to 12. In my home State of Utah, the statistics are 
particularly alarming. Every 14 hours, a Utahn commits suicide, 
resulting in an average of 630 deaths each year. The problem is so 
acute that Utah now has the fifth highest suicide rate in the Nation. 
This troubling trend is particularly pronounced among Utah's youth. 
Even though Utahns from ages 10 to 17 comprise only 13 percent of the 
State population, they represent nearly 23 percent of all suicide 
attempts. Suicide is now the leading cause of death among Utah's 
teenagers.
  To stem the tide of teenage suicide in Utah, I convened a roundtable 
discussion in Salt Lake City last December that included community 
leaders, healthcare professionals, high school principals, and parents 
from across the State. There we discussed proven methods that 
destigmatize mental illness, a critical first step in addressing the 
suicide crisis. We also discussed the links between bullying and 
depression.
  In an effort to prevent teen suicide, the effect of bullying cannot 
be overlooked. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical 
Association finds that kids who are bullied are more than twice as 
likely to consider suicide. In my home State of Utah, dozens of 
community leaders have drawn attention to the pernicious effects of 
bullying. The foremost among them is Dr. Greg Hudnall, a nationally 
recognized expert in suicide prevention. Dr. Hudnall found that between 
8 and 12 percent of all suicides are committed by young people who have 
been bullied. To discourage bullying and to help our teenagers who are 
suffering most, Dr. Hudnall led in the development of HOPE4UTAH. 
HOPE4UTAH is a dynamic peer-to-peer program designed to empower 
students in groups called Hope Squads. Hope Squads identify warning 
signs of depression in teenagers and offer help to those in need.
  Wendy Nelson, principal of Utah's Syracuse High School, recently told 
me how Hope Squads have helped students at risk of suicide to connect 
with therapists that the school has made available on a regular basis. 
The high school has since partnered with a local community health 
center for help in addressing the need for help in this particular area 
and, of course, the need for mental health professionals in schools. 
This shortage of mental health counselors is a serious problem, not 
only in Utah but in schools across the Nation. It is a very, very 
serious problem.
  In our December roundtable discussion, we learned that teen suicide 
is something schools, parents, and mental health professionals cannot 
address individually. Instead, a continuum of care must exist for each 
child from the first day of school to graduation. We must all work 
together to ensure that our children feel safe.
  Educators play a vital role in maintaining an infrastructure of 
support for teenagers struggling with mental illness. Because educators 
are often the first to identify warning signs in vulnerable students, 
hundreds of teachers in Utah receive training in how to identify and 
respond to these signs. Once we know a teen is suffering, parents and 
mental health professionals can step in to provide ongoing care. 
Building community partnerships that involve everyone and that focus on 
evidence-based practices can save hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.
  My main purpose in organizing the roundtable discussion was to find 
ways I could help prevent suicide on a national level. Increasing 
access to mental healthcare has been a fixture of my Senate service. 
Nearly 20 years ago, I convened the Senate Finance Committee's first 
hearing dedicated to mental health. More recently, I focused my 
legislative efforts on fighting prescription drug abuse, an epidemic 
that has only accelerated our Nation's mental health crisis. I played a 
leading role in passing the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act 
and helped to draft the 21st Century Cures Act, which President Obama 
signed into law in December. Both bills take aim at the opioid epidemic 
that is ravaging entire communities across the Nation.
  As a legislative body, we have set aside partisan differences in 
recent months to combat the opioid crisis as part of a broader effort 
to address growing rates of mental illness and death by suicide.
  But there is more we can do to help. To begin, we need to provide 
better and more immediate access to counseling and mental health 
services. This is one of the main takeaways from last year's roundtable 
discussion. So often we hear that those seeking help are just one 
positive interaction away from giving life another chance. As Utah 
State Senator Daniel Thatcher said:

       If you talk to someone, they live. If you connect them to 
     support, they live.

  Laura Warburton, a Utah mother who lost her daughter to suicide, said 
that the day her daughter died, she had attempted to make one last call 
to her therapist and could not get through.
  While this is a complex problem with no simple, immediate answer, 
there are steps we can take to help. Today, we are taking those 
critical first steps to prevent future tragedies from taking place.
  In response to what I learned during the suicide roundtable in Utah, 
I have joined Senator Joe Donnelly in introducing the National Suicide 
Hotline Improvement Act, a bipartisan proposal that will make it easier 
for Americans of all ages to get the help and treatment they need when 
they are experiencing suicidal thoughts. The current suicide prevention 
lifeline system and veterans crisis line are in desperate need of 
reform. Our bill will require the Federal Communications Commission, in 
consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services and the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, to study the current national suicide 
hotline system and make recommendations to Congress on how we can 
improve it.
  Across our great Nation, there are millions of people, especially 
young people, who are alone and suffering in the shadows of depression. 
Many of them are bombarded by suicidal thoughts and have no idea where 
to turn for help. To make matters worse, the national suicide hotline 
number, 1-800-273-TALK, is not an intuitive or easy number to remember, 
particularly for those experiencing a mental health emergency.
  Fortunately, the success of the 911 emergency system provides a model 
for addressing this problem. My bill will require the Federal 
Communications Commission to recommend an easy-to-remember, three-digit 
number for the national suicide prevention hotline. I believe that by 
making the national suicide prevention lifeline system more user-
friendly and accessible, we can save thousands of lives by helping 
people find the help they need when they need it most.
  In introducing this legislation, I wish to thank my fellow Utahn, 
Congressman Chris Stewart. Congressman Stewart has been an invaluable 
partner in offering some of the most important measures of this bill. 
Additionally, I would like to thank the American Foundation for Suicide 
Prevention. I also wish to express my appreciation for the support we 
have received from the Utah State Legislature, Utah's attorney general, 
and the Utah Department of Health Services, as well as several groups 
from the law enforcement community.
  This proposal transcends party lines and stands to save thousands of 
lives.

[[Page S2724]]

We cannot delay this effort to prevent suicide. So I call on my 
colleagues in both the House and the Senate to act quickly to pass this 
bill. Your support for this legislation represents your commitment to 
preventing future tragedies. I ask all of you today, regardless of your 
party affiliation, to cosponsor this legislation. In doing so, you can 
help us help those who need our help the most. There is absolutely no 
time to lose.
                                 ______