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HOUSE BILL NO. 48
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the House Committee on Rules
on ________________)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Reid)
A BILL to direct the Department of Health to convene a work group to reduce suicides in the Commonwealth with a focus on at-risk populations; report.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1.
The Department of Health (the Department) shall convene a work group to reduce suicides in the Commonwealth with a focus on at-risk populations, including youth, veterans, rural residents, LGBTQ+ individuals, communities of color, and other populations that experience disproportionate rates of suicide.
The work group shall:
1.
Develop and revise a statewide strategic plan every five years. The
statewide strategic plan
shall (i)
i
dentify key performance indicators (KPIs) that
a
re
measured to achieve the goal of reducing suicides among populations
at
greatest
ris
k
and (ii)
p
ropose a framework for data sources, reporting requirements, validation, sharing, and use. The framework sh
all
seek to improve and streamline data collection, facilitate cross-governmental agency collaboration, and optimize efficiencies of data-related projects.
2.
Develop an interim report on
the
progress of meeting the statewide strategic plan. The report shall (i)
i
nclude data on progress toward meeting KPIs
, which data
shall be provided to the work group by
all
agencies of the Commonwealth upon request
, as available
; (ii)
c
ompare
the Commonwealth's
current progress on KPIs to
that of
other states; (iii)
i
dentify barriers related to collecting and reporting suicide data on a timely basis and progress toward eliminating
such
barriers; and (iv)
m
ake recommendations, including
recommendations for
legislation and budget amendments, that are clearly mapped to and address the identified key performance indicators and barriers to data collection and reporting.
The
work group shall consist of the State Health Commissioner or his designee, the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or his designee, the Commissioner of Veterans Services or his designee, the Secretary of Education or his designee, the chair of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia or his designee, the
Director
of the Department of Corrections or his designee, the
Director
of the Department of Medical Assistance Services or his designee, a member of the Board of Veterans Services, a member of a suicide prevention organization, a professional who works in suicide prevention, one lived experience representative from the Suicide Prevention Interagency Advisory Group, one representative from a population at increased risk of suicide, and any other stakeholders as the State Health Commissioner may deem appropriate.
The Department shall be responsible for convening the meetings, taking minutes, publishing minutes, providing technical assistance and support with data analysis, and submitting the reports of the work group. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the work group upon request. The work group shall submit the statewide strategic plan and the interim reports to the Governor, the Joint Commission on Health Care, the Chair of the House Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Chair of the Senate Committee on Education and Health. The work group shall submit an interim report by November 1, 2026
,
and annually thereafter. The work group shall submit a statewide strategic plan by November 1, 2027, and every five years thereafter.