Suicide Prevention

To reduce the risk of firearm-related violence and suicide, the Department of Justice should encourage states to adopt and enforce Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) laws, which allow law enforcement and family members to petition the court to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who pose a significant risk of harm to themselves or others.[1] Congress should appropriate funds through the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program to support the implementation and enforcement of ERPO laws, including funding for training programs for law enforcement and mental health professionals.

Congress should fund projects to demonstrate evidence-based interventions for Black youth and other underserved populations for which there have been limited research.[1]

Congress should pass the Behavioral Health Crisis Care Centers Act, which would provide grant funding for states, cities and counties, and tribal governments to establish, operate, and expand one-stop crisis facilities and wrap-around services.[1][2][3] Additionally, Congress should require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a bundled payment under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) for crisis stabilization services for Medicare beneficiaries in crisis to cover up to 23 hours of crisis stabilization services.[4] CMS should also publish a report examining options for providing Medicare coverage of crisis stabilization services furnished by non-hospital providers that cannot bill Medicare under the OPPS.[4]

Expand the collection of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identify (SOGI) information in death records and government surveys on youth to create more accurate data on the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) youth who die by suicide and who attempt suicide.[1]

Congress should pass the Behavioral Health Crisis Services Expansion Act to ensure communities have the resources they need to provide services for people experiencing a mental health or substance use (MH/SUD, or “behavioral health”) crisis.[1][2]