Hochul considers legislation creating a Rural Suicide Prevention Council

A bipartisan bill awaiting action from Gov. Kathy Hochul hopes to tackle the issue of suicide in rural areas of New York state.

A report released last year from the University of Chicago found the suicide rate in those areas is double that of urban New York.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Pam Helming, would create a Rural Suicide Prevention Council.

"This task force would be charged with pinpointing exactly what it is we should be doing in our rural communities to reduce the number of suicides and the number of families who are being destroyed by suicide deaths,” she said.

Helming argued that much energy has gone into improving mental health, suicide prevention and substance use prevention resources in urban settings, and the task force would seek to create a framework that is tailored to individual rural areas across the state, acknowledging the cultural differences.