{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F271394A-86D2-4959-BFB1-7201BB67B817", "Heitkamp Hosts Summit to Stop Suicide, Gathers Over 100 Statewide Leaders to Address Increasing ND Suicide Rate and Help Keep ND Communities Strong & Safe", "2018-09-10", "2018", "2018-09", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WEST FARGO, N.D.  U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today hosted her Summit to Stop Suicide, which brought together over 100 North Dakota community leaders, educators, law enforcement officers, farmers, veterans, advocates, health care professionals, and youth from across the state to discuss how to improve North Dakota's efforts to prevent deaths by suicide.\r\nOver the past several years, North Dakota and rural America have experienced a sharp increase in suicides. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of death by suicide jumped by 58 percent in North Dakota between 1999 and 2016 the largest statewide increase in the country. Currently, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in North Dakota across all ages, and the 2nd leading cause of death for youth.\r\nHeitkamp's summit featured panel discussions with national mental health experts, including leaders from the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. After discussions on how to best tackle this public health emergency, Heitkamp facilitated comprehensive breakout sessions between experts and community leaders on the key topics of prevention, community engagement, survivor support, and preventing suicide for both youth and adults.\r\nDeaths by suicide have dramatically increased in towns, reservations, and farmsteads across our stateand that's why it's so important for local leaders to reexamine North Dakota's response to this growing public health threat, said Heitkamp. My Summit to Stop Suicide is a way to redouble our commitment to combating this crisis, and today I heard from health care workers, educators, advocates, law enforcement, and youth about new ideas and strategies that could prevent more loved ones from being lost to suicide. I'm so proud of the nationally-recognized activities of our North Dakota advocates to provide survivor support, raise awareness, and educate our neighbors about suicide. But we need to understand that prevention can't just be left to those who specialize in mental health. I'm encouraging North Dakotans to pool their skills and resources to address this enormous challenge with a community-wide approach, and I'll keep fighting in the U.S. Senate to decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness and focus resources in areas that desperately need them. The ongoing mental health crisis in rural America is nothing short of an epidemic, and we must stop it soon if we're going to keep North Dakota communities and families strong and safe.\r\nNorth Dakota mental health advocates and community volunteers have witnessed a significant increase in demand for suicide prevention and mental health support services across the state. A USA Today article from July 2018 cites First Link Executive Director Cindy Miller saying that the Fargo-based call center fielded 6,533 calls in 2017 a dramatic spike from 2,512 the previous year.\r\nFirstLink is the only call center in North Dakota that answers calls on the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine. FirstLink has seen a significant increase in the call volume from North Dakotans who are experiencing serious mental health challenges and may be contemplating suicide, or who are worried about their loved ones who are struggling with suicidal thoughts. Just in the last couple of years, we have seen a dramatic spike in the amount of calls we're receiving. That's a troubling sign in North Dakota especially if our approach doesn't change, said Cindy Miller, Executive Director, FirstLink. Senator Heitkamp's summit today is an important opportunity to encourage collaboration among community leaders, law enforcement, educators, and health care providers to build a strong coalition of advocates who can take on this tremendous challenge. By taking time today to develop practices that help those with mental health struggles, we are saving lives in more families and towns across our state.\r\nIn 2014, Heitkamp launched her Strong & Safe Communities Initiative, which places an emphasis on addressing substance abuse, childhood trauma, and other mental health challenges which can all be factors leading to suicide. One of the key focuses of Heitkamp's Strong & Safe Communities Initiative is to work with community leaders to address the state's behavioral and mental health challenges.\r\nAs police officers, we know all too well the devastation and the feeling of loss experienced by family and friends when someone they love takes their own life. We gently help those families on the worst day of their lives as we notify them or help them when theyfind the worst thing imaginable, said Fargo Police Chief David Todd. As a department, we also personally know the devastating loss of one our own through suicide and the crushing sorrow of going through the loss of a fellow officer and friend. The Fargo Police Department has since instituted suicide awareness training for our officers in getting officers to seek help through our Peer Assistance Crisis Team (PACT) and our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).We also givethem an avenue of assistance through an anonymous online survey tool officers can take and then be contacted by a professional while still maintaining their anonymity.Senator Heitkamp's summit is an opportunity to educate ourselves further and work to improve our community's resilience, because there's nothing more important than taking care of your people and giving them pathways to meaningful assistance they can use.\r\nThe Stop Suicide Summit coincides with both Suicide Prevention Month and Suicide Awareness Week. Yesterday, Hetikamp participated in the 13th annual Fargo-Moorhead Out of the Darkness Community Walk, which intends to raise awareness about those in North Dakota struggling with suicide. The walk aims to also remember and honor those lost to suicide and show support for those grieving a loss.\r\nAs the nation marks Suicide Prevention Month throughout September, it's an important opportunity to reflect on the stories of family, friends, and neighbors who have struggled with their mental health and have contemplated suicide, said Mike Lamma, Senior Vice President of Development and Field Management, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. When our organization began establishing Out of the Darkness walks across the country more than a decade ago, our goal was to spread awareness about suicide in our communities and promote healing for those impacted by suicide. Senator Heitkamp's summit today is a chance for North Dakotans to understand why suicide is becoming far too prevalent in our rural communitiesandI thank Senator Heitkamp for convening this timely and thoughtful event and elevating the conversation about mental health and suicide.\r\nOne of Heitkamp's top priorities in the U.S Senate is to find solutions to address the negative impacts of childhood exposure to trauma and its long-term negative impacts. According to a 2015U.S. Department of Justice study,58 percent of all American children had witnessed or been a victim of crimein the previous year.Studies have shown that when children experience multiple traumatic experiences, like violence, abuse, neglect, or trafficking, it can lead to a lifetime of negative impacts those who experiencesix or moretraumatic eventsare 30-times more likely to attempt suicide.\r\nIn April, a U.S. Senate committee passed bipartisan, comprehensive legislation that includes Heitkamp's provisions to address and mitigate the detrimental impact exposure to trauma, like opioid abuse, can have on the mental and behavioral health of children and families. Her legislation would combat the mental health crisis by identifying best practices, understanding the prevalence of trauma, boosting resources for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, and integrating mental health education in more U.S. schools.\r\nBackground\r\nSince joining the U.S. Senate, Heitkamp has worked to efforts to address the alarming rate of death by suicide among agricultural workers, veterans, Native youth, the elderly, and those battling substance abuse and addiction.\r\nHeitkamp has focused her efforts on the wide range of North Dakotans impacted by suicide either due to their own mental health issues or a family members including by:\r\n\r\n \r\nHelping North Dakota farmers and ranchers in crisis. In June, Heitkamp successfully worked to include in the bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill a provision to help farmers and ranchers in crisis. Heitkamp secured support for state departments of agriculture, state extension services, and non-profits to establish helplines, provide suicide prevention training for farm advocates, create support groups, and reestablish the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. These provisions were first included in a bill Heitkamp helped introduce in April, and she is working to include them in the final version of the 2018 Farm Bill.\r\n \r\n \r\nBoosting mental health resources for North Dakota veterans. Heitkamp has worked to address mental health challenges faced by North Dakota veterans and to expand veteran counselling services. In 2016, Heitkamp secured a new 5-Day Vet Center in Grand Forks to meet the mental health needs of area veterans and to provide free counseling, screening, and referral services while removing the stigma of seeking mental health care. And for the sixth consecutive year, Heitkamp introducedand the U.S. Senate passedher resolution in June to raise awareness about U.S. military veterans impacted by post-traumatic stress (PTS) and to reduce the stigma associated with the condition.\r\n \r\n \r\nPreventing youth suicide. In 2015, Heitkamp helped introduce bipartisan legislation that would provide increased support for suicide prevention and intervention programs. The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act would also boost training teachers and school personnel to identify and better understand mental illness, and help children recover from traumatic events.\r\n \r\n \r\nAddressing sharp rates of suicide in tribal communities. Suicide rates for Native children ages 15-24 years old are2.5 times the national averageand is the second-leading cause of death in that age group. Heitkamp's Commission on Native Children is examining ways to address major economic, social, justice, mental health, and educational disparities experienced by Native American children and is offering sustainable solutions to improve outcomes. The Commission includes several individuals specializing in mental and physical health.\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F271394A-86D2-4959-BFB1-7201BB67B817"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0477411560714245, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}