The National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act (Aug. 14, 2018)
The President authorized federal authorities to study the feasibility of designating a 3-digit number like 911 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, for which Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services is a key partner.
Proposed by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Representative Chris Stewart, The National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act will explore over a six-month period whether replacing 1-800-273-8255 with an easy-to-remember 3-digit number will improve public safety.
Didi Hirsch operates the first and one of the largest 24/7 suicide prevention crisis lines in the nation. It is one of two in the Lifeline network with English- and Spanish-speaking counselors around the clock and one of three that helps victims of disaster on the national Disaster Distress Helpline.
“We support any initiative that increases access to help for people in distress because they or someone they care about is thinking about suicide,” says Didi Hirsch’s President/CEO Dr. S. Curry, who is a member of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s steering committee. “But the federal government needs to make sure there’s adequate funding for it.”
State Senate Kills AB-1250 (Sept. 17, 2017)
Didi Hirsch was among a coalition that successfully lobbied the state Senate to kill AB 1250, legislation that would have imposed a de facto ban on county contracting with nonprofits and other community based organizations.
AB 1250 (Jones-Sawyer) was held in the Senate Rules Committee with no further action taken by the Senate.
Matt Cate, Executive Director of CA State Association of Counties issued following statement:
“We appreciate the Legislature’s thoughtful and deliberative review of AB 1250, which would have had significant negative impacts on the vital services provided by counties to all Californians, and particularly the most vulnerable among us,” said Matt Cate, Executive Director of CA State Association of Counties.
“A broad coalition of more than 500 organizations, representing advocates for health care, mental health, public safety, children, seniors, the disabled, and those facing poverty all strongly opposed this bill because it was bad policy, bad politics, and would have been bad for California.
“Should this proposal come before state law makers again our coalition will be prepared to defend services for the vulnerable and ask members to reject this bad idea.”