Fund the Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program
Recommendation
Congress should authorize and fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program (CSP)[1] so it can be expanded to all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and 18 tribal and territorial jurisdictions.[2]
Background/summary
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than 48,000 deaths in 2021.[3] Suicide affects all ages, particularly youth ages 10-14 and young adults ages 20-34. Some groups, including veterans, people living in rural areas, and young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBTQ+), have higher rates of suicide.[4]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program (CSP) funds programs to implement and evaluate a public health approach to suicide prevention. This includes convening and connecting multi-sector partners; using data to understand contributors to and track trends in suicide and suicidal behavior; identifying gaps in existing strategies; and sharing data and outcomes with other partners.[5] However, the CSP currently funds programs in only seventeen states.[1] Expanding the CSP to all fifty states, the District of Columbia and eighteen tribal and territorial jurisdictions will support the CDC’s goal of reducing suicide by 20 percent by 2025.[1]
citations
1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program. Last Updated July 5, 2023.
2. Executive Office of the President of the United States, Office of Management and Budget. Budget of the U.S. Government Fiscal Year 2024. Last Updated March 2023.
3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts About Suicide. Last Updated May 8, 2023.
4. Ibid.
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program at a Glance. Last Updated April 2023.