Agenda Text
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Proclaiming that The City of Somerville recognizes the week of September 4 - 10, 2022 as National Suicide Prevention Week.
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Official Text
Proclamation
Whereas: suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States, the 3rd leading cause of death among children and teens ages 10-19 and the 2nd leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 20 to 34; and
Whereas: in the United States over 45,000 people died by suicide in 2020 (Centers for Disease Control); and
Whereas: suicide rates have increased 30% over the last two decades, with suicide rates finally decreasing 2.1% between 2018 and 2019 and decreasing 2.9% between 2019 and 2020;
Whereas: it is estimated that in 2020, there were 1.2 million suicide attempts; and
Whereas: in 2020, suicide was the 15th leading cause of death in Massachusetts (Centers for Disease Control); and
Whereas: over 90% of the people who die by suicide have a diagnosable and treatable mental health condition, although often that condition was not recognized or treated; and
Whereas: , organizations such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention are dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, through research, education, advocacy, and resources for those who have lost someone to suicide or who struggle, and urge that we:
1. Recognize suicide as a preventable national and state public health problem and declare suicide prevention to be a priority.
2. Acknowledge that no single suicide prevention program or effort will be appropriate for all populations or communities.
3. Address the disparity in access to mental healthcare for underserved and underrepresented groups, and advocate for ending these disparities.
4. Fund new suicide research to support culturally-informed and evidence-based mental health care and services.
Encourage initiatives based on the goals contained in the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and the 2022 Massachusetts Sui...
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