RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 450 (HB 148) 2018 Regular Session Falconer
General Provisions
New law provides legislative findings concerning suicide prevention, noting especially the
problem of suicide among young people and military veterans, and provides the following
declaration:
The purpose of new law is to combat a dire public problem by creating and providing
for the zero suicide initiative, a systems approach and national best practice for
addressing suicide as a public health issue.
New law provides that it shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Suicide
Prevention Act".
New law provides that its implementation shall be contingent upon receipt of grant funding.
Zero Suicide Initiative
New law creates the zero suicide initiative to be administered by the office of behavioral
health of the La. Department of Health (LDH) in accordance with the provisions of new law.
New law provides that the zero suicide initiative shall be based upon the model set forth in
the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention published in 2012 by the U.S. Surgeon General
and further developed by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
New law stipulates that in administering the zero suicide initiative, the office of behavioral
health shall ensure that the initiative incorporates, at minimum, all of the following
components as set forth by the zero suicide model of the Suicide Prevention Resource
Center:
(1)Leadership development.
(2)Healthcare provider training.
(3)Identification of suicide risk factors.
(4)Patient engagement.
(5)Treatment.
(6)Health system transition.
(7)Health system quality improvement.
New law requires the office of behavioral health to ensure that administrators of all
healthcare facilities licensed by LDH and that all healthcare professionals licensed by any La.
board or commission have ready access to informational resources and technical assistance
necessary for implementation of the zero suicide initiative.
New law requires the office of behavioral health to examine and coordinate the use of
existing data to identify priority groups of patients, improve the quality of care for persons
who are suicidal, and provide a basis for measuring progress in the ongoing operation of the
zero suicide initiative.
New law expresses the intent that La. healthcare providers do all of the following:
(1)Work in collaboration to adopt and operate the zero suicide initiative as promulgated
in administrative rules by LDH. (2)Work with advocacy groups, faith-based organizations, and any other entities with
an interest in suicide prevention to support the adoption by health systems in La. of
the suicide prevention plan provided for in new law.
(3)Make efforts to connect persons and groups who are at higher risk for suicide with
services provided under the suicide prevention plan established by new law.
State Suicide Prevention Plan
New law requires the creation of the La. suicide prevention plan by the office of behavioral
health.
New law provides that the goal and purpose of the La. suicide prevention plan is to reduce
the incidence of suicide through system-level implementation of the plan in criminal justice
and health systems statewide, including mental health and behavioral health systems.
New law requires the office of behavioral health to collaborate with criminal justice and
health systems, including mental health and behavioral health systems, primary care
providers, physical and mental health clinics in educational institutions, colleges and
universities, community mental health centers, advocacy groups, emergency medical services
professionals, public and private insurers, hospital chaplains, and faith-based organizations
to develop and implement all of the following, which shall be included as elements within
the state suicide prevention plan:
(1)A plan to improve training on means by which to identify a person with trends,
attributes, and indicators of suicidal thoughts and behavior across criminal justice and
health systems.
(2)A plan to improve training on the provisions of the federal Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act and regulations issued pursuant thereto; and on
other applicable laws and regulations concerning privacy of health information.
(3)Professional development resources and training opportunities regarding indicators
of suicidal thoughts and behavior, risk assessment, treatment, and management.
New law requires the office of behavioral health to publish the state suicide prevention plan
on or before Dec. 31, 2020. Provides that at the time of publication of the plan, the office
shall transmit a summary of the plan in a report to the governor and to the legislature.
New law expresses the intent of the legislature that the following systems and organizations
contribute to the development and implementation of the state suicide prevention plan:
(1)Community mental health centers.
(2)Behavioral health services providers.
(3)Hospitals.
(4)Emergency medical services professionals and responders.
(5)Regional health systems.
(6)Physical and mental health clinics in educational institutions.
(7)State and local criminal justice systems.
(8)Advocacy groups with an interest in suicide prevention.
(9)Faith-based organizations.
(10)Colleges and universities.
Effective August 1, 2018. (Adds R.S. 28:801-814)