Title: Suicide Prevention Analytics Act of 2018
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Suicide Prevention Analytics Act of 2018
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to establish a pilot program that expands surveillance of self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behavior. The pilot program must be implemented through state and local public health departments.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7103 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7103

 To authorize a pilot program under which the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
 Control and Prevention, expands and intensifies surveillance of self-
harm and suicidal ideation behavior in partnership with State and local 
           public health departments, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 30, 2018

  Mr. Delaney (for himself and Mr. Stewart) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize a pilot program under which the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
 Control and Prevention, expands and intensifies surveillance of self-
harm and suicidal ideation behavior in partnership with State and local 
           public health 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 Analytics Act of 
2018''.

SEC. 2. SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE OF SELF-HARM BEHAVIORS AND SUICIDAL 
              IDEATION PROGRAM.

    Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting 
after section 317T of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-22) the following:

``SEC. 317U. SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE OF SELF-HARM BEHAVIORS AND SUICIDAL 
              IDEATION PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall carry out a pilot 
program, to be known as the Syndromic Surveillance of Self-Harm 
Behaviors and Suicidal Ideation Program, under which the Secretary 
expands and intensifies surveillance of self-harm and suicidal ideation 
behavior through--
            ``(1) the selection of State and local public health 
        departments as partners in the pilot program; and
            ``(2) the provision of assistance, including an award of 
        funds, to each such partner.
    ``(b) Selection.--In selecting State and local public health 
departments as partners in the pilot program under this section, the 
Secretary shall--
            ``(1) seek to select a diverse set of sites; and
            ``(2) consider such criteria as the Secretary determines to 
        be appropriate, which criteria shall include--
                    ``(A) population coverage;
                    ``(B) geographical coverage;
                    ``(C) urban and rural community representation; and
                    ``(D) demographic makeup, including socioeconomic 
                groupings, race, gender, and ethnicity.
    ``(c) Number of State and Local Public Health Departments.--In 
carrying out the pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall 
enter into and maintain partnerships with the following number of State 
and local public health departments:
            ``(1) For fiscal year 2019, 4 departments.
            ``(2) For fiscal year 2020, 15 departments.
            ``(3) For fiscal year 2021, 25 departments.
            ``(4) For fiscal year 2022, 35 departments.
            ``(5) For fiscal year 2023, 50 departments.
    ``(d) Period of Participation.--To be selected as a partner in the 
pilot program under this section, a State or local public health 
department shall agree to participate in the program for a period of 
not less than 2 years.
    ``(e) Data Sharing by HHS.--Subject to subsection (g), the 
Secretary shall, with respect to data on self-harm and suicidal 
ideation behavior that is collected pursuant to this section, share 
such data through--
            ``(1) the National Syndromic Surveillance Program's Early 
        Notification of Community Epidemics (ESSENCE) platform (or any 
        successor platform); or
            ``(2) another appropriate surveillance program.
    ``(f) Data Sharing by Partners.--As a condition on participating in 
the pilot program under this section, subject to subsection (g), a 
State or local public health department shall agree to share in real 
time (to the extent possible) with the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention data on self-harm and suicidal ideation behavior for 
purposes of--
            ``(1) tracking and monitoring self-harm and suicidal 
        ideation in real time to inform response activities to suicide 
        clusters;
            ``(2) informing prevention programming for identified at-
        risk populations; and
            ``(3) conducting or supporting research.
    ``(g) Applicability of Privacy Protections.--The provisions of this 
section shall be subject to the requirements of section 552a of title 
5, United States Code. All Federal laws relating to the privacy of 
information shall apply to the data and information that is collected 
under this section.
    ``(h) Reports.--
            ``(1) Submission.--Not later than April 30th of each of 
        calendar years 2020 through 2024, the Secretary shall submit a 
        report to the Congress on the results of the pilot program 
        under this section during the previous calendar year.
            ``(2) Contents.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    ``(A) The specific data points captured under the 
                pilot program under this section.
                    ``(B) Challenges in implementing the pilot program, 
                including with respect to data collection and 
                reporting, at State and local public health departments 
                in their first year of participation in the program.
                    ``(C) Identification of any problems with 
                implementation of the pilot program.
                    ``(D) Potential solutions for such problems, 
                including a description of the estimated costs of such 
                potential solutions.
                    ``(E) Description of any public health response 
                that is initiated at the Federal, State, or local level 
                in response to data collected through the pilot 
                program.
                    ``(F) Recommendations for improving public health 
                responses to self-harm and suicidal ideation incidents.
            ``(3) Final report.--The final report required by paragraph 
        (1) shall include recommendations on--
                    ``(A) whether to reauthorize and expand the pilot 
                program under this section; and
                    ``(B) if so, how to improve the pilot program for 
                purposes of such reauthorization and expansion.
    ``(i) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `self-harm' means any behavior that is self-
        directed and deliberately results in injury or the potential 
        for injury to oneself, including non-lethal forms of injuries 
        to oneself, including cutting, asphyxiation, overdose of drugs 
        (including through the use of opioids), and gun-related 
        injuries, either with or without the intent to kill oneself.
            ``(2) The term `suicidal ideation' means thinking about, 
        considering, or planning suicide.
    ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated--
            ``(1) $500,000 for fiscal year 2019; and
            ``(2) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2020 
        through 2023.''.
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