Bill > S1062

This bill establishes two key initiatives to address suicide and self-harm in the United States. First, it creates a Syndromic Surveillance of Self-Harm Behaviors Program that will award grants to state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments to expand surveillance of self-harm. Grantees must share real-time data with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to track suicide clusters, inform prevention programming, and support research. The data will be disaggregated into categories like nonfatal self-harm, suicidal ideation, and varying levels of suicidal intent. Priority will be given to regions with higher rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior or limited prevention services. The program aims to ensure geographic distribution, considering factors like mental health service availability and community-level social determinants of health. Second, the bill establishes a grant program for hospital emergency departments to implement self-harm and suicide prevention services, including patient screening, short-term prevention services, and referrals to long-term care. Hospitals can use the grants to hire and train staff, and must submit quarterly reports on their activities. The bill authorizes $30 million in funding for each fiscal year from 2026 to 2030 for each program, with provisions to protect patient privacy and mandated reporting to Congress on the programs' effectiveness.

Health and Social Services

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1062/all-info