Today, September 9, brings to mind some of the most
wonderful times in my life and also the saddest. You see, on this day 32 years
ago, my precious son Garrett came into my wife Sharon’s and my life. He was a
beautiful baby who soon grew into a kind and generous boy. However, this same
day 10 years ago was the first time Sharon and I awoke with the knowledge that
Garrett no longer was on this Earth.
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| Gordon H. SmithPresident and CEO, National Association of Broadcasters Former U.S. Senator from the State of Oregon Private Sector Co-Chair, Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention |
Yet, in looking back over Garrett’s life, we realized we
were ignorant of the signs of mental illness and because of that Garrett
struggled for much of his life with an undiagnosed ailment. While he began receiving care close to the
time of his death, we knew it came too late and we wondered how different his
life would have been had we known of his struggle and connected him to care
much earlier in his young life.
However, in Garrett’s death came a call to action. I became
and continue to be focused on helping other young people and adults who
struggle with mental illness and who are at risk for suicide. In Garrett’s
memory, an outstanding piece of legislation was enacted into law – the Garrett
Lee Smith Memorial Act. It was passed by the U.S. Senate with support from all 100
Senators and passed the U.S. House of Representatives with significant
bipartisan support. President George W.
Bush signed it into law on October 21, 2004. And to this day, the programs that
bear Garrett’s name continue to receive full funding and wide bipartisan
support.
It is through these programs that millions of Americans have
been helped. The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act provides states, tribal nations
and organizations, and colleges and universities with much needed funding to
create and implement youth suicide prevention plans with a significant focus on
early identification. To date, 49 states, DC and Guam, and 46 tribal
organizations have received funding, as well as 135 institutions of higher
learning. Further, through the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, more than
600,000 people have been trained in suicide prevention, including teachers,
coaches and other youth-serving individuals. The law also authorizes and funds
the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). The center’s key functions are
to provide technical assistance, training and resources to federal grantees. The
SPRC also works closely with the federally funded National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline (Lifeline) (1-800-273-TALK) and its network of more than 160 crisis
centers. Lifeline provides free and confidential support to people in suicidal
or emotional distress, including veterans, active military, and their families
and friends. This year, the Lifeline expects to answer more than 1.1 million
calls.
While early identification efforts and training to recognize
the signs of mental illness and suicidality are important to saving lives,
access to evidence-based treatment is the most critical component – and often the
most difficult to achieve. That is why I was so pleased to support the Paul
Wellstone and Pete Dominici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Enacted
at the end of 2008, this law, once fully implemented, will help ensure persons
in need of treatment receive it. The law eliminates the differentiation in cost
between physical and mental illnesses and will further reduce the stigma of
mental illness.
I was honored to accept the appointment by Kathleen
Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),
to serve as the private sector co-chair of the National Action Alliance for
Suicide Prevention. Created in 2010, the Action Alliance has a mission of advancing
the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention by championing suicide prevention
as a national priority, catalyzing efforts to implement high priority
objectives, and cultivating the resources needed to sustain progress in suicide
prevention. I am privileged to be joined by the public sector co-chair, John M.
McHugh, Secretary of the U.S. Army. Our aspirational goal is to save 20,000
lives over the next five years.
In Garrett’s memory, Sharon and I continue to try and find
meaning in helping others. This past July, with support and funding from the
members of the National Association of Broadcasters, I was able to launch the OK2TALK
media campaign. As these public service announcements have hit the airwaves,
public awareness about mental illness and assistance in connecting with care is
growing exponentially. In just the first month, the PSAs have been aired on TV
over 48,000 times and on radio 3,300 times. The total financial accounting of
this free airtime totals $6.9 million. America’s
broadcasters should be commended for their generosity and support. To ensure
people receive needed care, HHS launched in conjunction with our effort a new
website www.mentalhealth.gov, and
we launched a Tumblr page. To date, the Tumblr page has had 198,000 page views;
100,000 total visits; 13,900 followers; 774 submissions; 22,000 engagements;
and 17,000 have clicked “Get Help” to access mentalhealth.gov/suicide hotline
resources.
While Sharon and I will never stop longing to see and hold
our precious son just one more time, we do rejoice in the knowledge that in his
death has come so much good. On this day, the day that Garrett would have
turned 32, I invite all of you to join us in celebrating all of the outstanding
accomplishments our nation has made in the past 10 years to expand access to
mental health identification and treatment, and to reduce the tragic event of suicide.
We also call on you to continue the fight, continue working to save lives one
person at a time.
