Hawaii-2020-SCR197-Introduced

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that suicide is a major health concern that claimed more than forty-eight thousand American lives in 2018 and was the tenth leading cause of death in the United States in 2018; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, suicide was the ninth leading cause of death in 2017; and

WHEREAS, every two days, one person in Hawaii falls victim to suicide; and

WHEREAS, the youth suicide rate in Hawaii is higher than the national average; and

WHEREAS, suicide was the leading cause of death for Hawaii youth fifteen to nineteen years of age; and

WHEREAS, the Prevent Suicide Hawaii Task Force is a partnership of state, public, and private agencies and community groups working in collaboration to provide leadership, develop strategies, coordinate activities, and monitor progress of suicide prevention efforts in the State; and

WHEREAS, the Prevent Suicide Hawaii Task Force released The Hawaii Suicide Prevention Strategy in 2017 with the goal of reducing Hawaii suicides by twenty-five percent by 2025; and

WHEREAS, The Youth Suicide Prevention Leadership Council was formed in April of 2015 to:

(1) Provide a youth voice for statewide suicide prevention;

(2) Provide leadership development and training for youth on suicide prevention as well as general community leadership skills;

(3) Provide civic engagement and community service opportunities for youth; and

(4) Connect council members with adults who will support them as leaders in their home communities; and

WHEREAS, the Prevent Suicide Hawaii Task Force and the Youth Suicide Prevention Leadership Council are valuable allies in the effort to save lives from suicide; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature is concerned about the health, safety, and welfare of the youth of Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Prevent Suicide Hawaii Task Force, in collaboration with the Youth Suicide Prevention Leadership Council, is requested to recommend a strategic plan to reduce youth suicides in Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Prevent Suicide Hawaii Task Force, in the course of developing its recommendations, is requested to examine, evaluate, and determine methods to improve education, awareness, support services, and outreach to best prevent youth suicides in Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Prevent Suicide Hawaii Task Force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and to the Director of Health, who in turn is requested to transmit copies to the Administrator of the Hawaii Chapter of the Veterans Administration; Suicide Prevention Program Manager for the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force; Executive Director of the Pacific Regional Behavioral Health Alliance; Dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Chair of the Prevent Suicide Hawaii Task Force; Chair of the Hawaii Youth Leadership Council for Suicide Prevention; Chair of the Board, President, and Community Liaison of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Hawaii Chapter; and President of the Board of Directors of Mental Health America of Hawaii.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Suicide; Prevent Suicide Hawaii Task Force; Youth Suicide Prevention Leadership Council; Department of Health

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	197
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020
STATE OF HAWAII