Legislature(2011 - 2012)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
01/23/2012 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB137 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 137 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 137-SUICIDE AWARENESS & PREVENTION TRAINING
8:03:21 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced the consideration of SB 137.
8:04:04 AM
SENATOR DAVIS, SB 137 sponsor, explained that SB 137 would
assist school personnel to better understand suicide awareness
and prevention.
8:05:28 AM
THOMAS OBERMEYER, staff to Senator Davis, said SB 137 is an act
requiring suicide awareness and prevention training for certain
school personnel. He stated that SB 137, short titled the Jason
Flatt Act, requires mandatory youth suicide awareness and
prevention training approved by the Commissioner, Department of
Education and Early Development to each teacher, administrator,
counselor, and specialist who is employed by a school district,
regional educational attendance area, or department each year
for services to students in grades 7-12. Training is important
because suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10-
24 and the number one cause of death for Alaskans under the age
of 50 years.
Awareness and education are keys to prevention. Tying suicide
prevention efforts into teacher training has proved very helpful
in other states in reducing teen suicides. Most young people
contemplating suicide show clear warning signs of at-risk youth
and are prepared to intervene when they identify a problem.
MR. OBERMEYER said Alaska has by far the highest rate of suicide
per capita in the country, particularly among teens, young men,
and Alaska Natives, the Alaska Mental Health Board and Advisory
Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, in partnership with
Statewide Suicide Prevention Council, the Alaska Association of
Student Governments, the University of Alaska, and the Jason
Foundation have established goals, training programs, and
resources for teachers, coaches, and staff in suicide
prevention.
The Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics 2000-2009, reported the
following suicide facts and statistics: 21.8 suicides per
100,000 Alaskans versus 11.5 suicides per 1000,000 nationwide;
56.1 suicides per 100,000 Alaskan young men ages 15-24, and
141.6 Native young men and 50.3 young women in the same age
group; 1369 suicides in 176 Alaska communities between 2000 and
2009, 11 per month, 2.6 per week; 78-percent of suicides were
committed by men and 22-percent by women who made twice as many
but had many more failed attempts; 90-percent of suicide victims
experience depression or have diagnosable and treatable mental
health or substance abuse disorders.
The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that in the last 12
months: 12.8-percent of Alaska high school students reported
they seriously considered suicide; 8.7 percent of Alaska High
School Students actually attempted suicide one or more times;
2.7 percent of Alaska High School Students attempted suicide
resulting in injury, poisoning, or overdose treated by a doctor
or nurse.
MR. OBERMEYER said "it takes a village to raise a child," it
takes parents, teachers, mentors, and communities to support
efforts to reduce suicides by developing environments of respect
and connectedness among youth and adult role models. This will
create in youth the needed hope, promise, and optimism to build
healthy and appropriate relationships and behaviors. By
requiring and making resources available for suicide prevention
training for educators, and school staff through this bill, the
state of Alaska can ensure that youth at risk of suicide are
more likely to be identified and receive help.
Alaska has many state agencies, non-profits, private citizens,
health care providers, and policy makers working on this problem
with programs and materials. This bill is but one part of
suicide prevention which has proven successful in other states.
8:09:26 AM
MR. OBERMEYER said The Jason Foundation, which was named after
the tragic loss of the founder's son to suicide, has made
available to Alaska and a limited number of other states, its
library of free suicide awareness and prevention training
materials.
Not only will this bill and community efforts reduce suicides,
particularly among vulnerable youth, but it will also reduce the
number of self-inflicted injuries occasioned in over 1200
hospitalizations per year due to suicide attempts at a cost of
$9,000 per case, excluding physicians' and specialists' fees, as
researched and reported by the Alaska Mental Health Trust
Authority in 2001-2002. The same research found 75 percent of
the costs of Alaska suicide hospitalizations were paid through
public funding sources and 15 percent were written off as losses
by hospitals.
Suicides and attempted suicides have taken an incalculable toll
on individuals and families in Alaska. The burden of this
tragedy is shared by society as a whole. With all of our efforts
the numbers have not decreased very much over the years. This
bill, admittedly not a solution by itself, will help reduce the
"silent epidemic" of youth suicide through educational and
awareness programs that equip young people, educators and
parents with the tools and resources to help identify and assist
at-risk youth.
8:10:38 AM
MR. OBERMEYER referencing a letter from Kate Burkhart, Executive
Director, Statewide Suicide Prevention Council (SSPC), quoted:
"while the council endorsed the state suicidal
prevention strategy mandating training for all school
district personnel, children and youth interact with
more than just their teachers at school; coaches,
cafeteria staff, maintenance staff, librarians and
others, all have a chance to support our youth and
save a life."
MR. OBERMEYER said SB 137 does not mandate one particular
program or set of materials and that The Jason Foundation
recommends multiple sources to assist in suicide prevention. He
said $60,000 would be required to initiate the program, two
thirds of the cost attributed to vendors' fees.
8:12:32 AM
SENATOR DAVIS said she received input from the Department of
Education and Early Development along with various school
districts.
8:14:15 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked what the at-risk suicide signs are.
CO-CHAIR MEYER answered that forthcoming public testimony would
answer his question.
8:14:57 AM
KATE BURKHART, Executive Director, SSPC, said suicide warning
signs were noted on page 37 in the SB 137 Sponsor's Packet. She
explained that in addition to The Jason Foundation, the Division
of Behavioral Health offers the Alaska Gatekeeper Suicide
Prevention Training Program at no cost and the Alaska Native
Tribal Health Consortium offers the Intervention Skills Training
Program for a fee.
8:18:16 AM
MS. BURKHART said Alaska's Trust Training Cooperative (TTC),
offers the Mental Health First Aid program. She said Governor
Parnell had prioritized suicide prevention in his proposed
budget, which includes a pilot-training program for all high
school educators and staff, and the SSPC's priority is to have
mandated suicide prevention training for school personnel.
8:20:15 AM
SENATOR STEVENS said suicide is an enormous problem in Alaska.
He asked if she had participated in the suicide training
programs that teachers will be required to take.
MS. BURKHART answered no, only generalized suicide training
programs.
8:21:43 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked about the time required for mandated
training.
8:21:56 AM
MS. BURKHART answered two hours. She said other voluntary
program training periods vary; the DHSS Gatekeeper Program takes
two days, the TCC Mental Health First Aid Program takes up to
three days.
8:23:26 AM
KATYA WASSILLIE, staff to Senator Davis, explained the positive
impact SB 137 would have on rural Alaska. She detailed her
background, having attended school in nine different Alaskan
villages and stated that suicide directly affected her life
through family and friends. She said village-based teachers tend
to interact with students more frequently outside of the
classroom and believed SB 137 would assist them to better access
struggling students' internal issues and provide the opportune
assistance to avoid suicide.
8:25:39 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked if some suicides occurred in waves or in a
copy-cat manner.
8:25:58 AM
MS. WASSILLIE referred to a suicide-pact in Shaktoolik, Alaska
where friends agreed to commit suicide together; one individual
committed suicide and others attempted. She surmised that
attention given from attempted suicide may affect other
individuals in a peer group setting.
SENATOR STEVENS commented that early suicide detection and
response could help alleviate further suicide incidents.
MS. WASSILLIE agreed.
8:27:25 AM
CLARK FLATT, President, The Jason Foundation, said The Jason
Flatt Act was initiated to be an educational force for students,
teachers, educators, youth workers, and communities. He said
teachers are better equipped to see behavioral changes before
parents do and declared that the most important act a state
could do is train its educators and provide resources to detect
early warning signs for youth suicide prevention. He noted
within the past five years, six states enacted the Jason Flatt
Act, one of them, Tennessee, had shown a reduction in youth
suicide rates by 31 percent in 2009 and 17 percent in 2010.
He said The Jason Foundation and The American Foundation of
Suicide Prevention (AFSP) would provide, free of charge, access
to their on-line library and DVD Facilitator Packets; the DVD
programs are two hours in length and well suited for instructing
individuals located in Alaska's remote regions. He emphasized,
beyond The Jason Foundation and the AFSP, the use of additional
suicide awareness resources.
8:31:49 AM
MR. FLATT said The Jason Foundation had opened an office in the
North Star Behavioral Health Center-Anchorage. He summarized
that, based upon feedback from teachers in states that had
mandated suicide training; SB 137 would also save lives in
Alaska.
8:34:40 AM
SHARON STRUTZ-NORTON, representing herself, said she is a Family
Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practioner, Statewide
Suicide Prevention Council (SSPC) member, AFSP-Alaska member,
and a family suicide survivor. She spoke at the Alaska School
Counselor Association's (ASCA) Annual Conference and discussed
the support given for mandatory suicide prevention education and
training. She referred to properly trained school personnel as
"gatekeepers" who are ideally positioned to recognize suicide
behavioral signs and treatment referral.
8:38:35 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked what would happen if a teacher overheard
students talking about suicide.
8:38:53 AM
MS. STRUTZ-NORTON answered that a teacher should recognize
student behavioral changes and refers at-risk students to a
counselor or get other staff members to assist in risk
assessment.
8:39:16 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked what would happen in a rural village.
8:39:27 AM
MS. STRUTZ-NORTON answered that suicide awareness education
would help school staff members to respond appropriately.
SENATOR STEVENS said he had a concern for suicide prevention
support in rural villages without counselors.
8:40:45 AM
DEBORAH BOND, representing herself, said she lost her son to
suicide. He was a bullying victim and misunderstood by the
school staff. She said educators with suicide awareness training
would help save children's lives.
8:42:39 AM
SENATOR STEVENS commented on the possible connection between
bullying and suicide.
8:43:27 AM
JAMES BIELA, advocate, AFSP-Alaska, said his background as a
registered trainer for the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills
Training (ASIST), helped prevent a suicide in 2010. He noted the
importance for training an entire school's staff via multiple
suicide awareness programs.
8:45:44 AM
ANN SCHAACK, advocate, North Star Behavioral Health Center-
Anchorage and The Jason Foundation-Alaska, said Alaska's youth
suicide rates are alarmingly high and school personnel equipped
with suicide prevention tools and resources help identify at-
risk youth and connect them with support.
8:47:02 AM
JOHN ALCANTRA, Director of Government Relations, National
Education Association-Alaska (NEA-Alaska), said NEA-Alaska met
with Senator Davis and recommended mandatory suicide prevention
training to include all school personnel. He said the required
two-hour training could inspire school personnel to voluntarily
take additional courses. He recommended that SB 137 not include
a fiscal note, but said he recognized a cost impact from vendor
fees and staff training time, and those expenses could be offset
by using non-fee based resources.
8:51:00 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER said fiscal notes would be addressed by the
Senate Finance Committee.
8:52:19 AM
SENATOR STEVENS said he was concerned about implementing a
program in smaller schools where professional support was not in
the area.
8:52:54 AM
CYNTHIA CURRAN, Director, Teaching and Learning Support,
Department of Education and Early Development, answered that a
health education team works with school district personnel and
provides resource support.
SENATOR STEVENS asked about response to ambiguous suicide
warning signs.
8:54:26 AM
MS. CURRAN answered that knowing the student, behavior
differences and risk factors would help teachers understand and
recognize warning signs.
SENATOR STEVENS said parents should be aware of the warning
signs as well.
8:55:00 AM
SENATOR DAVIS asked about the fiscal note.
8:55:17 AM
MS. CURRAN explained that the fiscal note related primarily to
course development costs. She said rather than an in-service
format, an "E-Learning Module" would be used to allow teachers
to train at their convenience and permit the department to track
their progress.
SENATOR DAVIS asked that all suicide awareness resources be
compiled to address costs with the Senate Finance Committee.
8:57:27 AM
MS. CURRAN answered that the department would comply.
SENATOR DAVIS said she would provide the department with her
suicide awareness resource list. She admonished the department
for its neutrality and not taking a supportive stance.
LES MORSE, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Education and
Early Development, said the department recognizes suicide as a
problem and wanted to avoid premature comments on legislation be
avoided. He said possible solutions should be deliberated and
deployed by the committee.
8:59:18 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked Senator Davis to work with the department
to scrutinize the fiscal note.
9:00:05 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS moved to report SB 137 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note.
9:00:18 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced that without objection, SB 137 moved
from the Senate Education Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Agenda 1-23-12.pdf |
SEDC 1/23/2012 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Alaska State Suicide Prevention Plan.pdf |
SEDC 1/23/2012 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Back-up Statistics.pdf |
SEDC 1/23/2012 8:00:00 AM |
|
| SB0137A.PDF |
SEDC 1/23/2012 8:00:00 AM |
SB 137 |
| SB137 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SEDC 1/23/2012 8:00:00 AM |
SB 137 |
| SSPC Letter 1-20-12.pdf |
SEDC 1/23/2012 8:00:00 AM |
|
| SB137-EED-TLS-1-17-12.pdf |
SEDC 1/23/2012 8:00:00 AM |
SB 137 |