Washington, DC - Today, legislation championed by Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) and aimed at preventing youth suicide is expected to pass the Senate without dissent.

"This bill would be a marvelous beginning to say to the American mothers and fathers 'we care about you, we know your struggles, we know you're suffering and we're trying to help and where you can't be there we're going to do our level best to make sure that there are professionals, that there are people to help' so that we can put an end to this epidemic and let our youth know that mental illness is not something from which they should shrink. But something about which they can seek help," Smith said on the Senate floor.

The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act creates a program within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to enhance suicide prevention efforts at the state and local level, and on college campuses. Specifically, the bill:

• provides funding to states and tribes to develop statewide youth suicide prevention and intervention strategies



• allows states to fund a variety of local programs related to suicide prevention and intervention. These may include screening programs for youth that identify mental health and behavioral conditions that place youth at risk for suicide, providing referrals for community-based treatment, and providing training activities for child care professionals and community care workers.



• establishes the federal Suicide Technical Assistance Center that will provide guidance to state and local grantees for implementing state strategies, establish standards for data collection, and collect, evaluate and disseminate data related to the program.



• provides grant funding to colleges and universities to establish or enhance their mental health outreach and treatment centers, and enhance their focus on youth suicide prevention and intervention.



• funds a variety of programs including efforts to identify, prevent and treat mental and behavioral health problems of college students; hire staff trained to identify and treat mental illnesses; and evaluate and disseminate outcomes of mental and behavioral health.

"There are times when our nation's political leaders can put aside political and party differences and debate and pass legislation that truly helps people," Smith said. "This bill is not far-reaching when compared to many of the issues that our Congress will consider this year, but it represents an important milestone against mental illness, specifically against youth suicide."