Evidence-Based Legal and Policy Strategies Role in Preventing Suicides: The Healthy People 2020 Law and Health Policy Project

This presentation will describe the crucial role that law and policy play in preventing suicides and helping the nation meet Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) targets. Since 1979, Healthy People has set science-based, measurable objectives with targets used to benchmark and monitor progress toward improving the health of all Americans over a decade. This report is part of the HP2020 Law and Health Policy Project, which will develop at least 10 evidence-based products to demonstrate the impact of laws and policies on improving health which will focus on specific HP2020 topic areas and objectives. The specific objectives for this report are found in the Mental Health, Mental Disorders topic area and concentrate on: reducing the suicide rate (from 11.3 suicides per 100,000 populations in 2007 to 10.2 in 2020) and reducing suicide attempts by adolescents (from 1.9 attempts per 100 in 2009 to 1.7 in 2020).

We will discuss the role that law and policy play in preventing suicides in four main areas: (1) healthcare – including federal legislation such as the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and access to services; (2) education and training – for providers, teachers, and other professions; (3) means restriction; and (4) crisis services. The report highlights the effectiveness of specific legal and policy interventions at the federal, state, tribal and local levels, and the importance of rigorous evaluations. We discuss the role of law in promoting health equity and reducing disparities. A specific focus will be on addressing specific populations or groups with high rates of suicide.

The Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) - who manages the project, has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CDC Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The federal agencies partnered with a multidisciplinary group of external subject matter experts working in the field of suicide prevention. Report key components include: overall background information, legal and data analysis, legal and policy surveillance information, potential emerging trends, opportunities and challenges, lessons learned, and 2-4 case studies or “bright spots” which highlight the effectiveness of laws and/or share examples of states or localities implementing legal and policy strategies related to the identified HP2020 objectives.