New York State released its "Suicide Prevention Roadmap," a plan for the next five years, on Sept. 10, World Suicide Prevention Day. It consists of a statewide strategy, a task force report and 46 action items. The 988 crisis line, which the state helps fund and operate, received more than 52,000 calls in July alone.
New York State on Sept. 10 released the "New York State Suicide Prevention Roadmap," which sets out the direction of the state's suicide prevention efforts for the next five years. Timed to World Suicide Prevention Day, it has three parts: a statewide strategy, a task force report and a detailed action plan. The state Office of Mental Health (OMH) will oversee implementation.
The strategy document is titled "1,700 Too Many," a reference to the 1,701 people who died by suicide in New York State in 2024. The strategy presents five directions: strengthening data collection and monitoring, ensuring access to treatment, expanding support for groups with higher suicide rates, expanding community-based prevention, and integrating prevention services into the health care system.
The task force had 33 members, including people with lived experience, experts and practitioners who have supported high-risk groups. Its report identified seven priorities, including reducing stigma, addressing social factors such as housing instability and financial hardship, expanding culturally informed counseling, and strengthening school- and workplace-based prevention. The action plan breaks these down into 46 items and requires performance indicators for each.
988 call and text line available 24 hours a day, free of charge
In a crisis, people can call or text 988 to receive free support 24 hours a day. New York's 988 volume topped 52,000 contacts in July alone, the second most in the nation after California. The state has invested more than $60 million in operating and promoting 988. It also runs support programs for people who have lost family members to suicide, and a bewell.ny.gov page that compiles information on coping with grief.
Gov. Hochul proclaimed September Suicide Prevention Month statewide. On the evening of Sept. 10, she directed that 15 landmarks be lit in purple and teal, including One World Trade Center, the Grand Central Terminal Pershing Square Viaduct, Moynihan Train Hall, the Kosciuszko Bridge and Niagara Falls. According to 2024 figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York's suicide rate was the second lowest in the nation, after New Jersey's.