Wyden attends Bend roundtable on suicide prevention

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., met with Central Oregon health officials in Bend Tuesday morning to discuss suicide prevention efforts and the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed three-digit national suicide prevention hotline.

The proposed number — 988 – would be easier for people to remember, similar to 911. The current suicide prevention hotline has 10 numbers.

Wyden told members of the Central Oregon Suicide Prevention Alliance he is in favor of the proposed number. ” We need a special line, a dedicated line that ensures never again will suicide be (given) short shrift, ” Wyden said.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, two people a day die in Oregon due to suicide. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people 5 to 34 years of age and the ninth-leading cause of death overall in Oregon .

Lines for Life Chief Executive Officer Dwight Holton said he supports the new hotline number because of Oregon ‘ s history with suicide.

” The three-digit effort is a national effort, ” Holton said. ” We have been advocates of it here in Oregon in part because we know from our experience that getting people access to mental crisis services helps. When you connect people with hope you actually see healthier outcomes and you see people making better decisions. ”

Between 2010 and 2015, the death rate from suicide among 15- to 24-year-olds in Central Oregon was significantly higher than in Oregon as a whole. In Deschutes County there were 43 suicides between 2013 and 2015.

There is currently no timeline for the proposal’s approval.

For more information on Central Oregon efforts to prevent suicide, visit: https://preventsuicideco.org/