FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 3, 2020
Contact: Mary Mueller (Carlucci): (914) 980-1267; mary.f.mueller@gmail.com
Guillermo Martinez (Arroyo): (518) 455-5402; martinezga@nyassembly.gov
Carlucci & Arroyo Address Suicide Prevention with New Bill to Make the State’s Suicide Hotline ‘9-8-8’
Multiple Mental Health & Social Service Advocates Will Call for Immediate State Action on this Life-Saving Legislation
Press Conference on Tuesday (3/3)
1:30 p.m. at the NYS Capitol, 4th Floor Lobby
188 State Street, Albany, NY 12224
(Albany, NY) – Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) and Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo (D-Bronx) will hold a press conference with mental health and social service advocates in Albany on new legislation (S.6833/A.8778) to establish a 3-digit suicide hotline so people thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or in need of emotional support can reach the Lifeline network more quickly.
Currently, the number is 1-800-273-TALK. Experts believe if the number is similar to a 911, then it will become better known, eliminate stigma, and make it easier for a person in crisis to get help immediately. A mother personally impacted by suicide will share his daughter’s story and explain why this legislation is important. Suicide is now the 12th leading cause of death in New York, and one person dies by suicide every five hours in the State. Black youth, veterans, LGBTQ, Latina adolescents, and rural residents are at higher risk.
Who:
Senator David Carlucci
Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo
Lucille Ettere, NAMI-NYS Member and Family Advocate who lost her daughter Nicole to suicide
Matthew Shapiro, Associate Director of Public Affairs, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Glenn Liebman, CEO, Mental Health Association of New York State (MHANYS)
Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, Inc. (NYAPRS)
United Way of New York State
What: Press Conference on Suicide Prevention, 3-digit number
Where: 4th Floor Lobby in Capitol, 188 State Street, Albany, NY 12224
When: 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, 2020
