National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) BIG news!!
by Stacey on Jul.29, 2013, under Suicide Prevention Public Policies
We’re happy to report that last week the Senate approved an additional $15 million for the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). As many of you know in order to design effective suicide prevention strategies, we must first have complete, accurate and timely information about deaths by suicide. NVDRS provides this information, which is essential to improve state and federal suicide prevention activities. Current funding of $3.5 million allows only 18 states to participate in this program.
On Tuesday July 9, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee approved their Fiscal Year 2014 bill which included the increase in funding and this was subsequently approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, July 11.
AFSP can claim full credit for this important victory. Between our work on June 13 during our Annual Advocacy Forum Hill visits and field advocate emails and calls last week our advocates were responsible for getting this increased funding approved during the Subcommittee markup. We ultimately beat back a rumored amendment that was to be offered during the full Committee markup that would have at minimum restricted the funding and at most stripped it entirely.