Suicide Prevention Advisory Committee

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The Suicide Prevention Advisory Committee was established in 2006 following the passage of legislation signed into law by Governor Matt Blunt the previous year.  The committee is comprised of nineteen members, who are required to meet at least quarterly. 

The Committee, by law, must include representatives of the following groups:  suicide survivors, the criminal justice system, the business community, clergy, schools, youth, mental health professionals, health care providers, nonprofit organizations, and a researcher.  These ten "citizen" members are appointed to four year terms by the Governor, with the confirmation of the Senate.

The Committee also includes representatives from six state departments: mental health, health and senior services, social services, elementary and secondary education, corrections, and higher education.  In addition, there is one member from the House of Representatives, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, and one member of the Senate, appointed by the President Pro tem of the Senate.

The Advisory Committee is chaired by the director of the Department of Mental Health, or the director's designee.

Per Statute, the role of the advisory committee is to:

1. Provide oversight, technical support, and outcome promotion for prevention activities;
2. Develop annual goals and objectives for ongoing suicide prevention efforts;
3. Make information on prevention and mental health intervention models available to community groups implementing suicide prevention programs;
4. Promote the use of outcome methods that will allow comparison and evaluation of the efficacy, effectiveness, cultural competence, and cost- effectiveness of plan-supported interventions, including making specific recording and monitoring instruments available for plan-supported projects;
5. Review and recommend changes to existing or proposed statutes, rules, and policies to prevent suicides; and
6. Coordinate and issue a biannual report on suicide and suicidal behaviors in the state using information drawn from federal, state, and local sources.

 

You may send e-mail to the Committee at: Suicide.Prevention@dmh.mo.gov.

For additional information on suicide prevention please visit the Missouri Suicide Prevention Project page.