The strategy highlights 11 goals and 68 measurable objectives to prevent suicides and suicide attempts.

"The report emphasizes the importance of bringing to light the warning signs of suicide as a first step in helping those at risk to access and receive appropriate treatment," said Nancy Bateman, MSW, NASW Senior Staff Associate who contributed to the report, "We know that there are effective interventions for preventing suicide. The Surgeon General's suicide prevention guide presents a broad strategy to raise awareness, reduce stigma and assure access and availability of effective interventions."

The 68 objectives include the following:

• Implementing integrated community based suicide prevention programs that build life skills, beliefs and values, and connections to family and community support known to reduce the risk of suicide;
• Incorporating suicide-risk screening at the primary health care level;
• Increasing the number of states that require health insurance plans to cover mental health and sibstance abuse care on par with coverage for physical health care;
• Providing treatment for more suicidal persons with mental health problems;
• Developing technical support centers to increase the capacity of states to implement and evaluate prevention programs;
• Increasing the availability of comprehensive support programs for survivors of suicide;
• Increasing the number of professional and volunteer groups as well as faith-based communities that integrate suicide prevention into their ongoing activities;
• Improving suicide prevention education and training for health care professionals, counselors, clergy, teachers and other key "community gatekeepers;"
• Increasing the number of television programs and movies that accurately and safely depict suicide and mental illness; and
• Implementing a national violent death reporting system that includes suicide.

For a copy of the complete strategy, go to www.surgeongeneral.gov.

For more information on the Surgeon Generals Report, please contact Nancy Bateman, Senior Staff Associate at 202-336-8374 or email nbateman@naswdc.org.