Advocates from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Visit Little Rock to Meet with Lawmakers

News provided by

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Feb 19, 2015, 08:00 ET

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Feb. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Each year in the United States, suicide claims over 40,000 lives – more than war, murder, and natural disasters combined. On average, one person dies by suicide every 17 hours in Arkansas. On Thursday, February 19, 2015, volunteers from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the largest suicide prevention organization in the United States, will visit the state capital to have meetings with lawmakers to encourage them to prioritize suicide prevention and programs that support reducing suicide in the state.

"Suicide is not just a faceless health issue for our society - it affects real people. We hope that by introducing lawmakers to their constituents who have been personally affected by suicide, we will gain their support in making suicide prevention a priority for the state of Arkansas– an effort that will save lives," said John Madigan, vice president of public policy at AFSP. Volunteers will also be offering the AFSP-Arkansas Chapter as a resource to lawmakers should they or their constituents need suicide prevention, intervention, or postvention support in their home districts.

Suicide in Arkansas
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34 in Arkansas, and the fourth leading cause of death for people aged 35-54. Suicide cost Arkansas a total of $540,251,000 of combined lifetime medical and work loss cost in 2010, or an average of $1,208,615 per suicide death. Over twice as many people die by suicide in Arkansas annually than by homicide.

Arkansas law (Section 6-17-708) mandates two hours of suicide prevention training every five years for public school employees. This was accomplished through the adoption of the Jason Flatt Act of 2011 (HB 1778 – signed 3/30/2011). In 2014 the Arkansas Department of Health received a Garrett Lee Smith grant for Youth Suicide Prevention.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention leads the fight against suicide. We fund research, create educational programs, advocate for public policy, and support those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, AFSP has 75 local chapters with programs and events nationwide. Review our Annual Report to learn more about AFSP's life-saving work, and join the national conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.