Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4–Committee on
Human Resources and Facilities

 

(On Behalf of the Legislative Committee to
Study Suicide Prevention)

 

February 10, 2003

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

SUMMARY—Urges Clark County Health District to plan and coordinate public information campaign relating to suicide prevention and expand injury prevention efforts in Clark County. (BDR R‑290)

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

SENATE Concurrent RESOLUTION—Urging the Clark County Health District to plan and coordinate a public information campaign relating to suicide prevention and expand injury prevention efforts in Clark County.

 

1-1  Whereas, As a result of the National Suicide Prevention

1-2  Conference convened in Reno, Nevada, in October 1998, the

1-3  Surgeon General of the United States issued The Surgeon General’s

1-4  Call To Action To Prevent Suicide in July 1999, emphasizing

1-5  suicide as a serious public health problem; and

1-6  Whereas, Continuing attention to issues relating to suicide

1-7  prevention and the significant role of services relating to mental

1-8  health and substance abuse in suicide prevention are reflected in

1-9  Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General and in the nation’s

1-10  public health agenda, Healthy People 2010; and

1-11      Whereas, In 2001, the Surgeon General released his National

1-12  Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action,

1-13  which establishes a framework for action and guides the

1-14  development of an array of services and programs aimed at reducing

1-15  the nation’s rate of suicide and suicidal behavior; and

1-16      Whereas, The National Strategy approaches suicide as a public

1-17  health problem, an approach that has helped the nation effectively

2-1  address problems as diverse as tuberculosis, heart disease and

2-2  unintentional injury; and

2-3  Whereas, Nevada has consistently ranked at the top of the

2-4  listing of states with the highest suicide rates, and consistently

2-5  averaged twice the national suicide rate; and

2-6  Whereas, Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death in Nevada,

2-7  exceeded only by heart disease, cancer, pulmonary disease and

2-8  stroke, and Nevada is the only state in which suicides outnumber

2-9  deaths related to motor vehicles; and

2-10      Whereas, Clark County contains nearly 70 percent of the

2-11  population of Nevada, a majority of the completed suicides occur

2-12  there and the number of deaths by suicide in Clark County each year

2-13  has increased from 223 in 1991 to 292 in 2001; and

2-14      Whereas, The Clark County Health District is the local public

2-15  health agency serving residents and visitors in Clark County and has

2-16  included suicide prevention, under the category of reducing injuries,

2-17  in its top six priority areas in the project known as “Healthy Clark

2-18  County 2010,” which implements the national public health agenda;

2-19  and

2-20      Whereas, Public health and mental health providers recognize

2-21  that Clark County lacks a comprehensive suicide prevention

2-22  program, and because suicide prevention has been identified as a

2-23  critical public health problem and the Clark County Health District

2-24  is the lead public health agency in the County; now, therefore, be it

2-25      Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the

2-26  Assembly Concurring, That the Clark County Health District is

2-27  hereby urged to:

2-28      1.  Plan and coordinate a public information campaign on

2-29  suicide prevention; and

2-30      2.  Expand injury prevention efforts relating to suicide

2-31  prevention in Clark County and increase the Health District’s

2-32  financial commitment to support such efforts; and be it further

2-33      Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and

2-34  transmit a copy of this resolution to the Chief Health Officer for the

2-35  Clark County Health District and each member of the District Board

2-36  of Health of Clark County.

 

2-37  H