Taking Suicide Prevention Seriously in Wisconsin

Yesterday afternoon, a 61-year old man stepped in front of an oncoming train in Wauwatosa, WI. His death has been ruled a suicide. This sad story, the second of its kind this year, highlights both the hopelessness many in our communities face and the serious need to continue exploring suicide preventative measures within the larger context of mental health issues.

Suicide rose by 30% in the past 20 years, nationally. In Wisconsin, during the same timeframe, the suicide rate increased 40% and is the 10th leading cause of death in our state. Understandably, public concern is very high, and people are looking for better preventative measures to protect those at risk of self-harm.

In March 2019, House Speaker Robin Vos named Rep. Joan Ballweg as chair of the Speaker’s Task Force on Suicide Prevention. The bipartisan task force began evaluating current suicide prevention efforts, as well as identifying resources to best support at-risk individuals and communities. Members of the task force traveled throughout Wisconsin, holding six public forums to listen to and learn from veterans, students, farmers, first responders, and law enforcement.

In November, the task force presented its recommendations based on ideas gathered during the public forums. The Suicide Prevention bills package passed in the Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan support. Included in the package*:

• Creating a Suicide Prevention Program in the Department of Health Services to assist with grant allocation and coordination of statewide prevention efforts.
• Grants for local mental health organizations or coalitions to provide suicide prevention programming.
• Grants to educate firearms retailers on suicide prevention and provide voluntary temporary firearm storage.
• Grants to support peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs in high schools such as Sources of Strength and Hope Squads.
• Grants to the Wisconsin Safe and Healthy Schools Center to provide programming relating to prevention and intervention for alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse, mental health and school safety.
• Requiring student identification cards to have suicide prevention hotline numbers printed on them.
• Grants to assist farmers in completing courses at a technical college that relate to farm and business management techniques.
• Adding a one-time requirement of two hours of continuing education for certain health professionals who deal with at-risk communities.

As a concerned citizen who has been impacted by the loss of a loved one due to suicide, I applaud the Speaker’s Task Force on Suicide Prevention. They have made strong recommendations to address a timely, difficult subject. In particular, I appreciate their wise emphasis on looking for public-private collaboration. The investment of county and state resources is often most effective when working alongside community, faith-based, cultural, and civic organizations. Public-private partnerships provide the best, most sustainable support to local communities. I hope that 2020 is the year when each of the proposed bills is signed into law and implemented to help support healthy communities across our state.

*Chair of Speaker’s Task Force on Suicide Prevention, Rep. Joan Ballweg, Suicide Prevention Task Force Recommendations Advance. Press release: 11/7/2019.