David Jolly, Danny Davis Team Up on Suicide Prevention Efforts

U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., teamed up with U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., to bring out a bill reauthorizing the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and directing the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services to allocate already established grants to mental health and drug prevention programs at colleges and universities across the nation.

We each understand how devastating it can be for a family to lose a child to suicide, Jolly said on Friday. This bill is aimed at helping our youth at a critical time in their development by providing prevention and outreach programs with the resources they need to help our kids before its too late.

"Though suicide is often thought of as a mystery, there are some things we know about suicide: suicide is a leading cause of death for young people age 15-24; while risk factors for suicide vary with age, gender and ethnic group, important risk factors have been identified; with education, awareness and appropriate support suicide can be prevented, Jolly said. This legislation is a significant step in the prevention program.