Suicide continues to be a leading cause of death across the U.S. Our members of Congress must do more and act now to make suicide prevention a national priority.
I live with suicidal ideations and have lost multiple loved ones to suicide. By opening up the conversation we reduce the stigma and are able to save people, myself included.
That is why, on June 7 and 8, I participated in the 12th Annual Advocacy Forum with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Together with my fellow advocates from across the country, we met virtually with and asked our U.S. senators and representatives to support:
1) Federal funding for suicide prevention research.
2) 988 and the full continuum of crisis response services.
3) Long-term access to telemental health services.
4) Construction of barriers at locations where suicides occur.
5) Enhanced suicide risk assessment and response in health systems.
In those meetings, I was joined and supported by a passionate group of AFSP community members, leading the ever-growing movement of people who are speaking out about suicide and mental health. You can join us by visiting afsp.org/actioncenter and contacting your member of Congress to urge them to prioritize these suicide-prevention priorities now and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
