Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to undertake specified actions to enhance the suicide prevention programs of the Department of Defense (DOD), including: (1) suicide prevention training for all members of the Armed Forces and DOD civilian health care community and family support professionals; and (2) a suicide prevention outreach program throughout the Armed Forces and military family communities.
Directs the Secretary to provide readjustment assistance to spouses and parents of members returning from deployments, including information on: (1) ways to identify signs and symptoms of risk factors for suicide; and (2) the national suicide prevention hotline and other suicide prevention resources.
Authorizes the Secretary to award grants and enter into cooperative agreements to identify and implement within DOD strategies for: (1) the recruitment and retention of qualified military behavioral health professionals to provide mental health services, and substance abuse disorder prevention and treatment services, to members; and (2) reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5223 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5223
To provide for the enhancement of the suicide prevention programs of
the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 6, 2008
Mr. Boswell (for himself, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Braley of Iowa, Mr. Ortiz,
Mrs. Boyda of Kansas, Mr. Bartlett of Maryland, and Mr. Loebsack)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the enhancement of the suicide prevention programs of
the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Act
of 2008''.
SEC. 2. ENHANCEMENT OF SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE.
(a) Enhancement of Suicide Prevention Programs.--The Secretary of
Defense shall take appropriate actions to enhance the suicide
prevention programs of the Department of Defense.
(b) Training and Additional Requirements for Members of the Armed
Forces.--The actions taken under subsection (a) shall include the
following:
(1) A review and evaluation of existing suicide prevention
efforts across the military departments, including an
assessment of the effectiveness of current efforts and of how
such efforts are addressing issues related to combat stress.
(2) A requirement for suicide prevention training (as
described in subsection (c)) on an annual basis for all members
of the Armed Forces (including members of the National Guard
and Reserve), for all civilian health care community and family
support professionals of the Department of Defense, and for
such other service personnel of the Department as the Secretary
shall designate for purposes of this paragraph.
(3) Enhancement of the basic lifesaving training course for
members of the Armed Forces to include within such training
matters relating to recognition of risk factors for suicide,
identification of signs and symptoms of mental health concerns
and combat stress, and protocols for responding to crisis
situations involving members of the Armed Forces who may be at
high risk for suicide.
(4) Enhancement of training for military medics and medical
personnel to include within such training matters relating to
recognition of risk factors for suicide, identification of
signs and symptoms of mental health concerns and combat stress,
and protocols for responding to crisis situations involving
members of the Armed Forces who may be at high risk for
suicide.
(5) Review and enhancement of requirements for access of
units to crisis response teams to prevent and respond to
traumatic events, such as members in crisis or loss of unit
members, which teams shall include qualified mental health
professionals and may include medical staff, chaplains, family
support staff, peers, and other appropriate personnel.
(c) Suicide Prevention Training.--For purposes of this section,
suicide prevention training is comprehensive training on suicide
prevention (including, at a minimum, education, training, peer-to-peer
support methods, outreach, and de-stigmatization on suicide) developed
by the Secretary of Defense for purposes of this section in
consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the National
Institute of Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services,
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(d) Outreach.--
(1) In general.--The actions taken under subsection (a)
shall include a campaign of outreach throughout the Armed
Forces and the military family communities intended to--
(A) reduce the stigma among members of the Armed
Forces and their families, and in such communities,
associated with mental health concerns;
(B) encourage members of the Armed Forces and
individuals in such communities to seek help with such
concerns;
(C) increase awareness among members of the Armed
Forces and in such communities that mental health is
essential to overall health; and
(D) increase awareness among members of the Armed
Forces and in such communities regarding substance
abuse concerns, relationship and financial
difficulties, and legal and occupational difficulties.
(2) Public addresses.--As part of the campaign of outreach,
the Secretary shall provide for the inclusion in addresses to
veterans service organizations and other public addresses, and
in other public speeches, by senior officials of the Department
of Defense of the themes of the importance of mental health,
and the importance of seeking help on mental health concerns
and stress on military family members, for members of the Armed
Forces, veterans, and their families.
(e) Post-Deployment Assistance for Spouses and Parents of Returning
Members.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide spouses and
parents of members of the Armed Forces, including members of
the National Guard and Reserve, who are returning from
deployment assistance in--
(A) understanding issues that arise in the
readjustment of such members--
(i) for members of the National Guard and
Reserve, to civilian life; and
(ii) for members of the regular components
of the Armed Forces, to military life in a non-
combat environment;
(B) identifying signs and symptoms of substance
abuse, mental health conditions, traumatic brain
injury, and risk factors for suicide; and
(C) encouraging such members and their families in
seeking assistance for such conditions and in seeking
assistance on relationship, financial, legal, and
occupational difficulties.
(2) Information on available resources.--In providing
assistance under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide
information on the national suicide prevention hotline, local
resources for mental health services, family counseling
services, or other appropriate services, including services
available from both military providers of such services and
community-based providers of such services.
(3) Timing.--The Secretary shall provide resources under
paragraph (1) with respect to a member of the Armed Forces not
later than six months after the date of the return of such
member from deployment.
(f) Assessment of Actions.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for an
evaluation and assessment of the actions undertaken under this
section by an appropriate non-Federal Government entity
selected by the Secretary for purposes of this subsection. The
Secretary may provide for the evaluation and assessment by
contract or other cooperative agreement with, or by grant to,
the entity so selected.
(2) Elements.--In conducting the evaluation and assessment
required under paragraph (1), the entity selected under that
paragraph shall evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the
actions taken under this section in reducing the incidence of
suicide among members of the Armed Forces, including--
(A) the extent to which the actions taken under
this section effectively targeted members of the Armed
Forces and their families; and
(B) the extent to which the actions taken under
this section increased awareness among members of the
Armed Forces and their families on risk factors for
suicide.
SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS AND
ACTIVITIES.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense
shall submit to Congress a report on the programs and activities of the
Secretary of Defense to reduce the incidence of suicide among members
of the Armed Forces.
(b) Elements.--Each report under this section shall include the
following:
(1) The total number of suicides among members of the Armed
Forces during the period beginning on January 1, 2002, and
ending at the end of the most recent calendar year quarter
preceding the submittal of such report, including the number of
suicides confirmed and the number of deaths being investigated
as a suicide, set forth--
(A) by calendar year quarter in which death
occurred;
(B) by military department of the members
concerned; and
(C) by whether death occurred while the members
concerned were deployed or while assigned to permanent
duty station or homeport.
(2) A description of the status of the program required by
section 2, including, for the first three reports under this
section, a current description of the implementation of the
program, including the costs of implementation of the program.
(3) A description of the coordination of the program with
suicide prevention efforts of the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
(4) In the case of the first report under this section, a
plan for additional programs and activities to reduce the
incidence of suicide among current and former members of the
Armed Forces.
(5) Such recommendations for additional legislative or
administrative action as the Secretary considers appropriate to
improve and enhance the suicide prevention programs and
activities of the Department of Defense.
(c) Consultation.--In developing the plan required by subsection
(b)(4), the Secretary of Defense shall consult with the following:
(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(2) The National Institute of Mental Health.
(3) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services.
(4) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SEC. 4. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR UNIFORMED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
The Secretary of Defense may award grants to, and enter into
contracts and cooperative agreements with, such entities as the
Secretary considers appropriate to identify and implement within the
Department of Defense innovative and effective strategies for the
recruitment and retention of qualified uniformed behavioral health
professionals to provide mental health services, and substance abuse
disorder prevention and treatment services, for members of the Armed
Forces.
SEC. 5. REDUCING THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH SEEKING MENTAL HEALTH
TREATMENT.
The Secretary of Defense may award grants to, and enter into
contracts and cooperative agreements with, such entities as the
Secretary considers appropriate to identify and implement within the
Department of Defense innovative and effective strategies for reducing
the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2009
for the Department of Defense $6,000,000 to carry out this Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
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