Suicide Prevention Act
Bill: S.4448 | Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack (D-RI)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Suicide Prevention Act
This bill establishes two grant programs to prevent self-harm and suicide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must award grants to state, local, and tribal health departments to expand surveillance of self-harm, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must award grants to hospital emergency departments for programs to prevent suicide attempts among patients after discharge.

To authorize a pilot program to expand and intensify surveillance of 
      self-harm in partnership with State and local public health 
  departments, to establish a grant program to provide self-harm and 
suicide prevention services in hospital emergency departments, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Suicide Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE OF SELF-HARM BEHAVIORS PROGRAM.

    Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting 
after section 317U of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-23) the following:

``SEC. 317V. SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE OF SELF-HARM BEHAVIORS PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants to State, 
local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments for the 
expansion of surveillance of self-harm.
    ``(b) Data Sharing by Grantees.--As a condition of receipt of such 
grant under subsection (a), each grantee shall agree to share with the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in real time, to the extent 
feasible and as specified in the grant agreement, data on suicides and 
self-harm for purposes of--
            ``(1) tracking and monitoring self-harm to inform response 
        activities to suicide clusters;
            ``(2) informing prevention programming for identified at-
        risk populations; and
            ``(3) conducting or supporting research.
    ``(c) Disaggregation of Data.--The Secretary shall provide for the 
data collected through surveillance of self-harm under subsection (b) 
to be disaggregated by the following categories:
            ``(1) Nonfatal self-harm data of any intent.
            ``(2) Data on suicidal ideation.
            ``(3) Data on self-harm where there is no evidence, whether 
        implicit or explicit, of suicidal intent.
            ``(4) Data on self-harm where there is evidence, whether 
        implicit or explicit, of suicidal intent.
            ``(5) Data on self-harm where suicidal intent is unclear 
        based on the available evidence.
    ``(d) Priority.--In making awards under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that are--
            ``(1) located in a State with an age-adjusted rate of 
        nonfatal suicidal behavior that is above the national rate of 
        nonfatal suicidal behavior, as determined by the Director of 
        the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
            ``(2) serving an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of 
        the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act) 
        with an age-adjusted rate of nonfatal suicidal behavior that is 
        above the national rate of nonfatal suicidal behavior, as 
        determined through appropriate mechanisms determined by the 
        Secretary in consultation with Indian Tribes; or
            ``(3) located in a State with a high rate of coverage of 
        statewide (or Tribal) emergency department visits, as 
        determined by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
        and Prevention.
    ``(e) Geographic Distribution.--In making grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall make an effort to ensure geographic 
distribution, taking into account the unique needs of rural 
communities, including--
            ``(1) communities with an incidence of individuals with 
        serious mental illness, demonstrated suicidal ideation or 
        behavior, or suicide rates that are above the national average, 
        as determined by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and 
        Substance Use;
            ``(2) communities with a shortage of prevention and 
        treatment services, as determined by the Assistant Secretary 
        for Mental Health and Substance Use and the Administrator of 
        the Health Resources and Services Administration; and
            ``(3) other appropriate community-level factors and social 
        determinants of health such as income, employment, and 
        education.
    ``(f) Period of Participation.--To be selected as a grant recipient 
under this section, a State, local, Tribal, or territorial public 
health department shall agree to participate in the program for a 
period of not less than 4 years.
    ``(g) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall provide technical 
assistance and training to grantees for collecting and sharing the data 
under subsection (b).
    ``(h) Data Sharing by HHS.--Subject to subsection (b), the 
Secretary shall, with respect to data on self-harm that is collected 
pursuant to this section, share and integrate such data through--
            ``(1) the platform of the National Syndromic Surveillance 
        Program Early Notification of Community Epidemics (ESSENCE) (or 
        any successor platform);
            ``(2) the National Violent Death Reporting System, as 
        appropriate; or
            ``(3) another appropriate surveillance program, including 
        such a program that collects data on suicides and self-harm 
        among special populations, such as members of the military and 
        veterans.
    ``(i) Rule of Construction Regarding Applicability of Privacy 
Protections.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or 
alter the application of Federal or State law relating to the privacy 
of information to data or information that is collected or created 
under this section.
    ``(j) Report.--
            ``(1) Submission.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
        enactment of the Suicide Prevention Act, the Secretary shall 
        evaluate the suicide and self-harm syndromic surveillance 
        systems at the Federal, State, and local levels and submit a 
        report to Congress on the data collected under subsections (b) 
        and (c) in a manner that prevents the disclosure of 
        individually identifiable information, at a minimum, consistent 
        with all applicable privacy laws and regulations.
            ``(2) Contents.--In addition to the data collected under 
        subsections (b) and (c), the report under paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    ``(A) challenges and gaps in data collection and 
                reporting;
                    ``(B) recommendations to address such gaps and 
                challenges; and
                    ``(C) a description of any public health responses 
                initiated at the Federal, State, or local level in 
                response to the data collected.
    ``(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2023 through 2027.''.

SEC. 3. GRANTS TO PROVIDE SELF-HARM AND SUICIDE PREVENTION SERVICES.

    Part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 520N. GRANTS TO PROVIDE SELF-HARM AND SUICIDE PREVENTION 
              SERVICES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants to hospital 
emergency departments to provide self-harm and suicide prevention 
services.
    ``(b) Activities Supported.--
            ``(1) In general.--A hospital emergency department awarded 
        a grant under subsection (a) shall use amounts under the grant 
        to implement a program or protocol to better prevent suicide 
        attempts among hospital patients after discharge, which may 
        include--
                    ``(A) screening patients for self-harm and suicide 
                in accordance with the standards of practice described 
                in subsection (e)(1) and standards of care established 
                by appropriate medical and advocacy organizations;
                    ``(B) providing patients short-term self-harm and 
                suicide prevention services in accordance with the 
                results of the screenings described in subparagraph 
                (A); and
                    ``(C) referring patients, as appropriate, to a 
                health care facility or provider for purposes of 
                receiving long-term self-harm and suicide prevention 
                services, and providing any additional follow up 
                services and care identified as appropriate as a result 
                of the screenings and short-term self-harm and suicide 
                prevention services described in subparagraphs (A) and 
                (B).
            ``(2) Use of funds to hire and train staff.--Amounts 
        awarded under subsection (a) may be used to hire clinical 
        social workers, mental and behavioral health care 
        professionals, and support staff as appropriate, and to train 
        existing staff and newly hired staff to carry out the 
        activities described in paragraph (1).
    ``(c) Grant Terms.--A grant awarded under subsection (a)--
            ``(1) shall be for a period of 3 years; and
            ``(2) may be renewed subject to the requirements of this 
        section.
    ``(d) Applications.--A hospital emergency department seeking a 
grant under subsection (a) shall submit an application to the Secretary 
at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as 
the Secretary may require.
    ``(e) Standards of Practice.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall develop 
        standards of practice for screening patients for self-harm and 
        suicide for purposes of carrying out subsection (b)(1)(C).
            ``(2) Consultation.--The Secretary shall develop the 
        standards of practice described in paragraph (1) in 
        consultation with individuals and entities with expertise in 
        self-harm and suicide prevention, including public, private, 
        and nonprofit entities.
    ``(f) Reporting.--
            ``(1) Reports to the secretary.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A hospital emergency department 
                awarded a grant under subsection (a) shall, at least 
                quarterly for the duration of the grant, submit to the 
                Secretary a report evaluating the activities supported 
                by the grant.
                    ``(B) Matters to be included.--The report required 
                under subparagraph (A) shall include--
                            ``(i) the number of patients receiving--
                                    ``(I) screenings carried out at the 
                                hospital emergency department;
                                    ``(II) short-term self-harm and 
                                suicide prevention services at the 
                                hospital emergency department; and
                                    ``(III) referrals to health care 
                                facilities for the purposes of 
                                receiving long-term self-harm and 
                                suicide prevention;
                            ``(ii) information on the adherence of the 
                        hospital emergency department to the standards 
                        of practice described in subsection (f)(1); and
                            ``(iii) other information as the Secretary 
                        determines appropriate to evaluate the use of 
                        grant funds.
            ``(2) Reports to congress.--Not later than 2 years after 
        the date of the enactment of the Suicide Prevention Act, and 
        biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives a report on the grant program under this 
        section, including--
                    ``(A) a summary of reports received by the 
                Secretary under paragraph (1); and
                    ``(B) an evaluation of the program by the 
                Secretary.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2023 through 2027.''.
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