Title
Authorizing the Joint City Council Committees on Education and Children and Youth to hold hearings to investigate the resources and current practices available to students and their families within the School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services to prevent suicides among children and youth in the City of Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reports that suicides are the 10th leading cause of deaths in the United States, claiming 44,193 American lives annually; and
WHEREAS, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention also reports that on average there are 121 suicides per day and for every suicide there are 25 individuals that attempt to commit suicide; and
WHEREAS, The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") reported that suicides among children and adolescents ages 10 to 14 have increased dramatically, surpassing homicides and motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of the death among children and adolescents ages 10 to 14 in FY14. Overall, the CDC reports that suicide is the third leading cause of death among persons aged 10-14 and the second among persons aged 15-34 years; and
WHEREAS, In 2015, the CDC reported that 17.0% of students seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous 12 months (22.4% of females and 11.6% of males); 13.6% of students made a plan about how they would attempt suicide in the previous 12 months (16.9% of females and 10.3% of males); 8.0% of students attempted suicide one or more times in the previous 12 months (10.6% of females and 5.4% of males); and 2.7% of students made a suicide attempt that resulted in an injury, poisoning, or an overdose that required medical attention (3.6% of females and 1.8% of males); and
WHEREAS, In 2015, the CDC also reported that the prevalence of having seriously considered attempting suicide among Hispanic students in grad...
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