President Signs Gordon's Teen Suicide Prevention Bill
November 22, 2004,
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon helped push a bill through Congress that will help communities and universities get the resources they need to fight teen suicide.
The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, named after the late son of Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith, was recently signed into law. The measure provides grants for states to develop youth suicide prevention and intervention programs.
"More than 4,000 children and young adults kill themselves each year, making suicide the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 10 and 24," said Gordon, who introduced the bill in the House of Representatives. "That's a tragedy we need to get a better handle on.
"Hundreds of communities across the nation offer comprehensive intervention and prevention services. But local budget constraints are putting a hamper on these kinds of services.
"This new law, however, will provide states and local communities, as well as college and university campuses, with grants to help fund and further develop these worthy programs," he said.
After receiving the grants, states would then be required to distribute at least 85 percent of the federal funding to education systems, juvenile justice systems, local governments and non-profit organizations that focus on suicide prevention and intervention.
Gordon attributes his motivation to introduce the legislation to Clark Flatt, a Hendersonville resident who lost his 16-year-old son to suicide. Through that tragedy, Flatt founded the Jason Foundation, one of the nation's leading teen suicide awareness and prevention programs.
"The Garrett Lee Smith Act is the first time the U.S. Senate and the House have stood together and said youth suicide is a national health priority," Flatt said. "This is a major step forward in the fight against youth suicide."
"I get some of my best advice from the folks at home," Gordon said of Flatt. "Clark used his experience to help other teens cope with growing up and to be healthy members of society.
"The Jason Foundation is a great organization, and we need to make sure it and similar organizations have the support and resources they need."
For further information about the Jason Foundation, call the organization at 1-888-881-2323.
In 2002, an estimated 124,409 visits were made to hospital emergency rooms in the U.S. after attempted suicides among 10- to 24-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new law also will create a new interagency collaboration among federal entities that will focus on research, policy development and the dissemination of data specifically pertaining to youth suicide.
"Four out of five young people who attempt suicide have given clear warnings," Gordon said. "It's important we know these warning signs and know how to respond to them.
"These intervention and prevention services are vital to helping those who are contemplating suicide. We must not neglect our children by failing to fund programs that fight this silent killer," the congressman added.
