The Alaska Suicide Prevention Council will continue its efforts to curb the epidemic of suicide for another six years after Governor Sean Parnell signed Senate Bill 37 on Monday.
The 17-member council will advise lawmakers and the Governor on efforts to create a statewide plan of action, enhance suicide prevention efforts, build and strengthening public and private partnerships, and promote awareness of suicide and risk factors.
According to a state report revised last year, traffic crashes killed 444 people, 170 people died in homicides, and 721 deaths were from suicide and 494 were from accidental poisonings from 1980 to 2009.
"Suicide affects Alaskans across all economic, social or ethnic boundaries," said Senator Anna Fairclough, R-Eagle River, who sponsored the bill. "Unfortunately, our state has the highest rate in the nation for this preventable and devastating epidemic. This council has worked hard to stop those heartbreaking numbers by using a comprehensive approach to develop healthy communities while developing a statewide plan for suicide prevention."
After receiving public input and stakeholder efforts, the council developed Casting the Net Upstream, a five-year plan to determine if the state's efforts were effective.
Channel 2 previously dedicated a special report on the issue of suicide in the 49th Report, "A Night of Hope."
Contact Neil Torquiano