April 23:
On April 23, the White House will unveil its new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, which includes two Indian Americans—Neera Tandon and Dr. Vivek Murthy—as major figures. The United States Surgeon General is Dr. Murthy, while Tandon advises US President Joe Biden on domestic policy.
Later today, at a White House event, the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention will be presented. This strategy will help achieve President Biden's Unity Agenda goals of ending the opioid epidemic and improving mental health. Douglas Emhoff, the Second Gentleman, was going to be there.
"Doing everything we can to reduce suffering and prevent suicide is one of President Biden's top priorities, and improving the health and wellbeing of the American people is an important part of that," Tanden stated. To combat the opioid pandemic and the nation's mental health crises, the Biden-Harris administration has initiated multiple initiatives. In addition, she was happy to announce the unveiling of a new federal action plan and national strategy to prevent suicide today.
The epidemic of suicides is a major concern in the field of public health. In 2022, the number of suicides in the US surpassed 49,000. A information sheet from the White House states that this amounts to one death every eleven minutes. The rising suicide rate in the United States has repercussions for Indian Americans as well, albeit no official statistics are available.
Senior administration officials will address the concerns of underserved and at-risk communities and present the new plan during the event. The strategy lays out specific recommendations for filling up gaps. The plan will be accompanied by the first-ever Federal Action Plan, which, according to a senior administration official, lists over 200 separate initiatives that federal partners throughout the administration will launch and assess over the following three years.
Efforts will be made to evaluate effective community-based suicide prevention programmes, find ways to treat substance use and suicide risk concurrently in clinical settings, fund a mobile crisis locator that 988 crisis centres can use, and provide more support to those who have survived suicide or lost someone they loved.
A senior administration official announced that the nation's suicide prevention strategy will now include a pillar that prioritises equity. This is necessary to address the disproportionate impact of suicide on certain populations across the entire continuum of care.
According to Xavier Becerra, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, suicide is a multifaceted public health issue that affects people all throughout the country.
"The health and well-being of Americans has consistently been a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. With this strategy and the unprecedented interagency coordination shown in the federal action plan, we are here for you," he asserted.
