[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 177 (Thursday, September 12, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 74105-74106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20836]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 177 / Thursday, September 12, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 74105]]

                Proclamation 10806 of September 9, 2024

                
World Suicide Prevention Day, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On World Suicide Prevention Day, we honor the memories 
                of all those lost to suicide, hold the loved ones 
                grieving their memories close to our hearts, and 
                recognize the many professionals working to end this 
                public health problem.

                Too many Americans have lost their lives to suicide. 
                Last year, nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide, and 
                in 2022, over 10 million seriously considered suicide. 
                In 2022, suicide was the second leading cause of death 
                for young people aged 10 to 14 and 25 to 34, and the 
                suicide rate for veterans was 50 percent higher than 
                for anyone else. Suicide is also a leading cause of 
                maternal death. Though there is no single cause or 
                solution for suicide, we know that access to treatment 
                and support can save lives. However, getting care in a 
                crisis can be hard to access or afford. In 2021, less 
                than half of all adults with mental illness received 
                the care they needed. And nearly 70 percent of children 
                who seek mental health care cannot find it.

                A key part of my Unity Agenda is to connect more 
                Americans to affordable, quality mental health care and 
                strengthen our mental health care system--which will 
                help address many of the risk factors associated with 
                suicide. My Administration issued a rule that requires 
                insurers to cover mental health care just as they do 
                physical health care, and to make changes if required 
                analyses show that health insurers are providing 
                insufficient access to mental health care--an important 
                step in ensuring people can get the mental health care 
                they need. My American Rescue Plan provided over $12 
                billion to expand mental health and substance use 
                services through States, communities, and schools. And 
                when we passed the most significant gun safety law in 
                nearly 30 years, we expanded the number of Certified 
                Community Behavioral Health Clinics paid for under 
                Medicaid, which deliver mental health treatment, 
                including crisis care 24 hours a day to communities 
                across the country. That law also delivered funding to 
                put more psychologists and counselors in schools, and 
                my Administration has made it easier for schools to use 
                Medicaid to deliver mental health services--helping 
                ease the youth mental health crisis and ensuring that 
                our children can go on to live long, healthy lives. 
                Further, I signed into law expansions to counseling, 
                benefits, and mental health resources for law 
                enforcement and first responders who have faced trauma 
                at work. Earlier this year, my Administration released 
                a new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and 
                Federal Action Plan which includes over 200 actions 
                that will strengthen suicide prevention programs across 
                the Nation, including those designed to reach our most 
                vulnerable.

                I have always said that we have a sacred obligation to 
                care for our Nation's veterans and their families--and 
                that means making sure they have access to the care 
                they need to thrive. To help keep that promise, my 
                Administration invested in mental health and suicide 
                prevention efforts for our service members and 
                veterans. We have expanded access to confidential 
                treatment and are working to hire more mental health 
                professionals, removing cost-sharing for the first 
                three mental health visits, and investing in hiring 
                more

[[Page 74106]]

                veterans to help their peers get the mental health care 
                they need. And we are working to ensure that every 
                veteran has a roof over their head--including by 
                increasing access to permanent supportive housing for 
                veterans and their families.

                If you or a loved one are struggling, please know that 
                you are not alone. My Administration launched 988, the 
                National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to quickly connect 
                people with the support they need. Call or text 988 to 
                reach a trained crisis counselor for free, confidential 
                support right away. We also established the National 
                Maternal Mental Health Hotline for new and expectant 
                mothers. Call 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) for help 
                navigating mental health issues like postpartum 
                depression and anxiety before, during, or after 
                pregnancy. For non-crisis support or to find help for 
                mental health and substance use, visit FindSupport.gov 
                or call 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357).

                During World Suicide Prevention Day, we recommit to 
                improving suicide prevention programs and putting 
                affordable, accessible mental health care within reach 
                of communities across our Nation--for all the lives we 
                have lost and all those we can still save.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 10, 
                2024, as World Suicide Prevention Day. I call upon all 
                Americans, communities, organizations, and levels of 
                government to join me in creating hope through action 
                and committing to preventing suicide across America.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                ninth.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-20836
Filed 9-11-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P