State Digest

Published 12:00 am PST Thursday, February 7, 2008

The California Department of Mental Health officially announced the establishment Wednesday of a new Office of Suicide Prevention.

The office, which will be supported by existing funds from the Mental Health Services Act, will get state agencies working together to address suicide; serve as a central depository for suicide data; and establish a list of practices that are effective at reducing suicide, supporters of the office said last year as it was being considered.

Last year, a Bee story noted that suicides among adults under 25 in Sacramento County had increased sharply since the start of the decade. The Bee first reported in September about a letter from state officials to Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Castro Valley, saying the office would be established.

The new office also was among recommendations made by community leaders advising the state about a suicide prevention plan.

"Every day nine Californians die by suicide," Hayashi, who led the effort for creation of the office, said in a statement. "The Office of Suicide Prevention is important as a coordinating office in the state working to prevent suicides."

– Phillip Reese