Presidential Documents

74105 

Federal Register 

Vol. 89, No. 177 

Thursday, September 12, 2024 

Title 3— 

The President 

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 costsharing for the first three mental health visits, and investing in hiring more 


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74106 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 177 / Thursday, September 12, 2024 / Presidential Documents 

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 fortyninth. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20836 

Filed 9–11–24; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


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