First Regular Session
Sixty-second General Assembly
LLS NO. R990882.01 Alfredo
Kemm
STATE OF COLORADO
BY SENATORS Perlmutter, Rupert, Phillips, Anderson, Andrews, Arnold, Blickensderfer, Chlouber, Dennis, Dyer, Epps, Evans, Feeley, Hernandez, Hillman, Lacy, Lamborn, Linkhart, Martinez, Matsunaka, Musgrave, Nichol, Pascoe, Powers, Reeves, Sullivant, Tanner, Teck, Thiebaut, Congrove, Owen, Tebedo, Wattenberg, Weddig, and Wham;
also REPRESENTATIVES McElhany, Alexander, Bacon,
Clarke, Coleman, Dean, Gordon, Gotlieb, Hagedorn, Hefley, Hoppe,
Kaufman, Keller, Kester, Larson, Lawrence, Leyba, Mace, May, Miller,
Morrison, Plant, Ragsdale, Saliman, Scott, Sinclair, Spence, Stengel,
Swenson, Tate, Taylor, Tochtrop, Tool, Tupa, Veiga, S. Williams,
Witwer, and Zimmerman.
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 99-031
CONCERNING SUICIDE PREVENTION.
WHEREAS, Colorado's suicide rate is almost 40 % higher
than the national average, with 1,965 lives having been taken
over the threeyear period from 1995 to 1997, and Colorado
ranked fifth in the nation in suicide in 1995; and
WHEREAS, Suicide takes about 55 Colorado lives every
month and in its wake leaves countless family members and friends
in mourning and emotional distress in attempting to heal and resolve
unanswered questions surrounding their loved ones' choices to
take their lives; and
WHEREAS, Suicide is Colorado's seventh leading cause
of death overall and the leading cause of injuryrelated
death, surpassing even motor vehicle accidents and homicide; and
WHEREAS, In 1996, suicide was the second leading
cause of death among Colorado children, teenagers, and young adults
in every age category between ages 10 and 34 and took the lives
of 136 children and teens, ages 10 to 19 years old, in the three
years from 1995 to 1997; and
WHEREAS, Suicide rates increase with advancing age,
with the highest suicide rates occurring in the elderly, 75 years
and older; and
WHEREAS, White males have the highest suicide rate,
accounting for 77% of all suicides in Colorado, while the rate
of suicide among young black males is almost as high as that of
young white males, having increased more than threefold
since 1950; and
WHEREAS, Men commit suicide five times more frequently
than women, accounting for over 80% of the suicides in the threeyear
period from 1995 to 1997, and have generated an increase in the
suicide rate for men by 13% over the past 16 years; and
WHEREAS, Women make more nonfatal suicide attempts
than men, accounting for 60% of reported attempts, and while nonfatal
suicide attempts have been shown to be severely underreported,
nevertheless the Colorado Hospital Association discharge data
recorded 7,806 attempted suicides between 1994 and 1996; and
WHEREAS, A study found that in 1995, 8% of Colorado
high school teens had made one or more suicide attempts in the
previous year, while 17% had planned and 22% had seriously considered
a suicide attempt in the previous year; and
WHEREAS, Nonfatal suicide attempts occur 25 times
more often than fatal suicides, are strong indicators for later
suicide, and add significantly to the emotional burden, medical
morbidity, and overall costs of suicidal behavior; and
WHEREAS, The stigma associated with mental illness
works against suicide prevention by keeping persons at risk of
attempting suicide from seeking lifesaving help and seriously
inhibiting family members from regaining meaningful lives; and
WHEREAS, Suicide imposes tremendous economic burdens
on the citizens and communities of Colorado, adding to medical
and mental health care costs, decreasing productivity, and wiping
out years of productive life for survivors coping with the aftermath;
and
WHEREAS, On October 9, 1998, the United States House
of Representatives adopted House Resolution 212 "recognizing
suicide as a national problem" and "declaring suicide
prevention a national priority"; and
WHEREAS, The Governor's Suicide Prevention Advisory
Commission was created in March 1998 and assembled to study suicide
prevention and intervention strategies and to create a statewide
plan to reduce suicides; and
WHEREAS, The Citizens' Advisory Panel was created
in May 1998 to work collaboratively with the Commission on seven
work groups to explore the complex issues related to suicide prevention
including public policy, public information and education, best
practices for diagnosis and treatment, training for gatekeepers
and first responders, prevention and intervention strategies and
services, spiritual resources, and social and biological diversity;
and
WHEREAS, The Commission issued its report in November
1998 recommending the development of a "lead entity"
to assume responsibility for the development of an ongoing system
for ensuring integrated, coordinated, and effective information
and services for suicide prevention; and
WHEREAS, The Commission further recommended the development
of a statewide, ongoing, and comprehensive public information
and education campaign including the provision of greater training
for individuals involved in the identification, screening, referral,
treatment, and followup of people at risk of suicide; now,
therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixtysecond
General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives
concurring herein:
(1) That the General Assembly recognizes
the severity of the problem posed by suicide to the health and
spirit of the citizens and communities of Colorado.
(2) That the General Assembly sympathizes
with fellow Coloradans personally touched by the experience of
suicide and encourages community initiatives directed at increasing
community understanding and compassionate treatment of mental
illness and the healing of all affected by the experience of suicide
and suicide attempts.
(3) That the General Assembly applauds
the efforts of individuals and groups in communities across Colorado
who have dedicated themselves to addressing the physical, emotional,
and spiritual problems associated with and created by the tragic
incidence of suicide.
(4) That the General Assembly is committed
to encouraging and pursuing an integrated and coordinated approach
to communitybased solutions as recommended by the Governor's
Suicide Prevention Advisory Commission and Citizens' Advisory
Panel.
Be It Further Resolved,
That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the newly created Suicide
Prevention Coalition of Colorado, which is the successor organization
to the former Governor's Suicide Prevention Advisory Commission
and Citizens' Advisory Panel.
_________________________ _________________________
Ray Powers Russell George
PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES
_________________________ _________________________
Patricia K. Dicks Judith M. Rodrigue
SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES