NH HB 1588 Suicide Education and Prevention Bill

A very important and lifesaving piece of legislation is going to the NH House floor tomorrow.  NH HB 1588 is a bill sponsored by Rep. Donna Schlachman of Exeter.  I lost my son, Connor Ball, to death by suicide in 2011.  I approached Rep. Schlachman early last year with a request that she support suicide education and prevention in New Hampshire.  Rep. Schlachman has since championed the cause and sponsored HB 1588.  The bill is similar to those enacted in numerous other states, including our neighbor Vermont where they have seen a decrease in youth suicide.
Suicide is preventable, so please contact your NH State Representative today and urge them to support HB 1588.
 
Best regards,
Tara Ball

A few key points are: 
   
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in NH after accidental injury for ages 10-34.  Deaths are tragic, but many more youth attempt or contemplate suicide and need help·        

In a survey done by the NH School Administrators Association in May 2013, 85% of school districts do not have a policy in place regarding suicide prevention training.  75% indicated they would benefit from suicide prevention training·        

Existing Dept. of Education Administrative Rules are not specific enough to promote suicide prevention education. ·        

The focus of suicide prevention education is recognition of risk – not assessment of risk.  We want people to learn how to recognize individuals at risk and how to get them connected with help. ·        

Learning how to identify youth at risk of suicide is likely to also help identify youth at risk for substance misuse, domestic violence, teen pregnancy and other high risk behaviors·        

The NH School Administrators Association Supports this bill·        

No one spoke in opposition to this bill at the hearing and there has been much misinformation spread about the bill since the hearing.