Establishes the rural suicide prevention council to identify barriers to mental health and substance use treatment and prevention services and other policies, practices, resources, services, and potential legislation that aim to reduce death by suicide and suicide attempts and acknowledge the demographic and cultural differences in rural communities; makes related provisions.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7188
SPONSOR: Gunther TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the
rural suicide prevention council; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof
PURPOSE:
To reduce death by suicide in rural communities.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill would do the following:
- Add a new § 7.48 to the mental hygiene law to establish the rural
suicide prevention council.
- Require members of the council to include the commissioner of the
office of mental health or his or her designee, the commissioner of the
department of health or his or her designee, and the commissioner of
agriculture and markets or his or her designee.
- Allow twelve additional appointments including: four members by the
governor; three members by the speaker of the assembly; three members by
the temporary president of the senate; one member appointed by the
minority leader of the assembly; and one member appointed by the minori-
ty leader of the senate.
Provide the duties of the council to include, but not be limited to:
* Identifying barriers to mental health and substance use treatment and
prevention services, as well as the causes and conditions related to
death by suicide or suicide attempts in rural parts of the state;
* Identifying vulnerable populations in rural areas and the prevalence
of suicide among such populations including, but not limited to, farmers
and agricultural workers; identifying policies, practices, resources,
services; and potential legislation that aim to reduce death by suicide
and suicide attempts;
* Determining if there is sufficient capacity for peer supports and
mental health crisis services;
* Assessing the use of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline in rural
areas and identify strategies to increase utilization;
* Provide recommendations to improve the coordination of services and
resources among state agencies; and
* Make recommendations on funding initiatives to increase access to
mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention services in rural
areas.
- Require the council to prepare and submit a report no later than Janu-
ary 15, two thousand twenty-four, and annually thereafter, to the gover-
nor and the legislature.
JUSTIFICATION:
"In 2020, the suicide rate in rural areas of New York State was double
the rate in urban parts of the state, federal mortality data shows.
Other reports indicated that rural counties had an average suicide rate
of 15.2 people per population of 100,000, while urban areas had a
suicide rate of 7.5 for every 100,000 people. Also, a study of sixteen
rural New York counties was conducted by NORC at the University of
Chicago found that a lack of services and resources, economic disadvan-
tage, low service utilization, lack of transportation, and heightened
stigma surrounding the use of mental health services are just a few of
the contributing factors to death by suicide being more common in rural
parts of the state.
This bill would help to address the risk factors associated with death
by suicide in rural communities by establishing the Rural Suicide
Prevention Council. The council would be tasked with making recommenda-
tions to reduce barriers for treatment and support services in rural
areas and improve service delivery for vulnerable populations who reside
in rural communities." (Sponsor)
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
BUDGET IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect sixty days after it has become law and shall
expire and be deemed repealed two years after such effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7188
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 12, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the
rural suicide prevention council; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
2 7.49 to read as follows:
3 § 7.49 Rural suicide prevention council.
4 (a) There shall be established by the office, a council on rural
5 suicide prevention. Members of the council shall include the commission-
6 er or his or her designee, the commissioner of health or his or her
7 designee, and the commissioner of agriculture and markets or his or her
8 designee. There shall be twelve additional members of the council
9 including four members appointed by the governor; three members shall be
10 appointed by the speaker of the assembly; three members shall be
11 appointed by the temporary president of the senate; one member shall be
12 appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; and one member shall
13 be appointed by the minority leader of the senate.
14 (b) The commissioner shall designate the chair from appointed council
15 members. Vacancies in the membership of such council shall be filled by
16 the appropriate appointing authority.
17 (c) The membership of the council may include, but not be limited to,
18 representatives of the state conference of local mental hygiene direc-
19 tors; mental health professionals and practitioners with experience in
20 the delivery of mental health treatment or suicide prevention services
21 in rural areas; persons with expertise in research of public health
22 issues in rural areas; any group, association, or university with exper-
23 tise in financial or economic analysis, business planning, and providing
24 supports for farmers and other individuals residing in a rural area;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11381-01-3
A. 7188 2
1 certified peers; rural community members with lived experience who have
2 been or are currently receiving mental health services or supports; and
3 others whose professional expertise includes rural affairs related to
4 the duties of the council. For the purposes of this section the term
5 rural areas shall have the same meaning as it is defined in section four
6 hundred eighty-one of the executive law.
7 (d) Duties of the council shall include, but not be limited to:
8 (1) identifying barriers to mental health and substance use treatment
9 and prevention services, as well as the causes and conditions related to
10 death by suicide or suicide attempts in rural parts of the state;
11 (2) determine if there is sufficient capacity for peer supports and
12 mental health crisis services;
13 (3) assess the use of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline in rural
14 areas of the state and identify strategies to increase utilization;
15 (4) identifying vulnerable populations in rural areas and the preva-
16 lence of suicide among such populations including, but not limited to,
17 farmers and agricultural workers;
18 (5) identifying policies, practices, resources, services, and poten-
19 tial legislation that aim to reduce death by suicide and suicide
20 attempts and acknowledge the demographic and cultural differences in
21 rural communities;
22 (6) offering recommendations on policies and procedures to improve the
23 coordination of services and resources among agencies involved in the
24 delivery of mental health, substance use, or suicide prevention
25 services; and
26 (7) making recommendations on funding initiatives to increase access
27 to mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention services in
28 rural areas and facilitate the use of innovative intervention strategies
29 specific to individuals residing in rural areas.
30 (e) The rural suicide prevention council shall meet not less than
31 three times annually, or as deemed necessary by the chair of the council
32 or the commissioner.
33 (f) The members of the rural suicide prevention council shall receive
34 no compensation for their services but shall be allowed their actual and
35 necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
36 The council shall provide a preliminary report to the governor and the
37 legislature of its findings, conclusions, recommendations and activities
38 already undertaken by the council, not later than nine months after the
39 effective date of this act, and a final report of its findings, conclu-
40 sions, recommendations and activities already undertaken by the council,
41 not later than eighteen months after the effective date of this section
42 and shall submit with its reports legislative proposals as it deems
43 necessary to implement its recommendations.
44 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
45 have become a law and shall expire 2 years after such effective date
46 when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed repealed.
