The STOP Suicide Act would amend the Public Health Service Act to create a competitive federal grant program for models that provide stabilization services to people with serious thoughts of suicide. The bill directs the Assistant Secretary for Health to award grants to eligible entities to implement suicide-specific, evidence-based or evidence-informed stabilization services in the least restrictive appropriate setting. Covered services may include outpatient care, virtual care, technology-enabled innovations, and peer support services.
The bill requires applicants to include a continuity plan showing how services will be financed after the grant ends, and it limits each grant term to no more than five years with no renewal. It also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate the grant activities, disseminate findings, and provide training and technical assistance to grantees. The bill authorizes $30 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would add a new section to Title V of the Public Health Service Act and expand federal support for suicide prevention and behavioral health stabilization services. It would create a new grant stream for community-based primary care and behavioral health providers, crisis centers, public health agencies, territories, and Indian tribes or tribal organizations, including school-based and campus-based health centers, community health centers, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, certified community behavioral health clinics, and children’s hospitals. The bill would not directly mandate new state requirements, but it could influence state and local service delivery by funding crisis stabilization models and encouraging outpatient, virtual, and peer-support approaches.
Sentiment
The available context suggests generally positive and bipartisan sentiment around the bill. The measure was introduced by Representatives Raskin and Bacon, indicating cross-party sponsorship, and the bill’s purpose is framed around preventing suicide and improving access to stabilization services. No committee transcript or recorded vote is available in the provided materials, so there is no evidence of formal opposition in the record supplied.
Contention
The bill’s main policy choices that could draw scrutiny are its reliance on competitive federal grants, the five-year nonrenewable grant limit, and the requirement that applicants demonstrate a plan for sustaining services after federal funding ends. Some stakeholders may also focus on the bill’s emphasis on least-restrictive settings and virtual or technology-related care, which could raise questions about implementation standards, clinical oversight, and how services are measured for effectiveness. However, no specific objections or opposing arguments are included in the provided context.