ALBANY — Suicides in New York are not declining and a state comptroller’s office audit released Wednesday found counties are not receiving timely data that could help prevent them.
The state Office of Mental Health has implemented — or partially implemented — previous recommendations from New York’s Suicide Prevention Task Force, but there are still oversight gaps and breakdowns in data sharing that has left uncertainty about whether those efforts are reducing suicides.
“Every life lost to suicide is a devastating tragedy for families and communities,” state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said. “The Office of Mental Health could improve efforts to implement the recommendations made by the New York State Suicide Prevention Task Force to ensure timely and accurate data is shared with counties. With stronger monitoring and coordination, New York can save lives and better protect people in crisis.”
The audit was requested by New York City Councilman Erik Bottcher, who has advocated for LGBTQ+ mental health and suicide prevention and championed legislation to expand mental health resources, according to the comptroller’s office.
“Suicide prevention depends on timely, accurate data and strong coordination across every level of government,” Bottcher said. “As a survivor myself, I know how much it matters when systems work and how devastating it is when they fail. … This report makes clear that while progress has been made, too many counties and communities are still operating without the information they need to save lives.”
The suicide task force was created in 2017 to recommend strategies for reducing suicide through efforts that were to include better data sharing. The audit examined a two-year period beginning July 2023 to gauge the Office of Mental Health’s progress.
There was implementation of 46 of 51 previous recommendations that were reviewed by auditors but the Office of Mental Health and county agencies still don’t know if school-based training or hospital initiatives are working because of the data sharing shortfalls.
The audit found 80% of counties reported they do not receive timely data on suicide-related hospitalizations, and 66% reported they did not have access to timely crisis hotline call data.
There has also been incomplete record-keeping of task force meetings and demographic data such on race, ethnicity, veteran status and sexual orientation or gender identity are incomplete, according to the comptroller’s office.
“Without this data, counties may miss disparities and fail to target resources where they are needed most” the comptroller’s office said in a release. “Between 2018 and 2021, the national suicide rate increased by 26% among Native Americans, 19% among Blacks, and 7% among Hispanics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
The comptroller’s office said the Office of Mental Health “generally agreed with the findings and said it will issue a new state Suicide Prevention Strategy this fall.”