On the recordSeptember 29, 2020
I appreciate the gentleman yielding. I rise today in support of H.R. 4861, the Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act. Our Nation remains in the midst of a suicide crisis, Mr. Speaker. Over the past several decades, the suicide rate has risen sharply, increasing by 31 percent since 2001--this is unacceptable-- making suicide the 10th leading cause of death and claiming an estimated 47,000 lives annually. A 2016 study found that 11 percent of all emergency department patients exhibited suicidal ideation. However, only 3 percent of those patients were diagnosed by current screening tools. Furthermore, about 70 percent of patients who leave the emergency department after a suicide attempt never attend their first outpatient follow-up appointment. At the same time, emergency departments, which are often the place within our healthcare system that provides care for people who are at risk for suicide, have inconsistent protocols for screening and treating high-risk patients. For this reason, I introduced with my friend and colleague, a true statesman, Congressman Engel, the Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act.…
