New ASTHO Legal Map Illuminates State and Territorial Suicide Prevention Infrastructure

ARLINGTON, Va., July 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), in partnership with Temple University and with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), today announced the release of a new interactive resource, Legal Mapping of State and Territorial Infrastructure to Prevent Suicides. The tool visualizes state and territorial laws, as of January 1, 2025, related to suicide prevention commissions, offices, and fatality review processes, providing invaluable insights for strengthening prevention efforts nationwide.

Suicide remains a significant public health crisis, ranking as the second-leading cause of death for individuals ages 10-34 in 2023, with over 49,000 suicides occurring across all age groups that year. Certain populations experience disproportionately higher rates of suicide, including those in rural areas, older adults, American Indian or Alaska Native individuals, people with disabilities, and veterans.

“Understanding the variability of legal frameworks for suicide prevention infrastructure across jurisdictions can help leaders identify ways they might strengthen their own work,” says Joseph Kanter, MD, MPH, ASTHO CEO. “These new legal maps help jurisdictions examine the national landscape of policies, enable health agencies to pinpoint gaps, replicate best practices, and strategically implement evidence-based interventions tailored to their communities’ unique needs. Strong, legally supported infrastructure is paramount to sustaining prevention efforts, especially amid evolving funding landscapes.”

The interactive resource allows users to explore various aspects of state and territorial suicide prevention infrastructure, including:

• The establishment of suicide prevention offices or coordinators
• The existence of population-focused suicide prevention groups or taskforces
• The establishment and scope of committees or bodies that review suicide fatalities, including data collection on suicide attempts and information sharing requirements

Key findings regarding the legal landscape of state-level infrastructure as of January 1, 2025:

• Twelve jurisdictions had laws establishing a suicide prevention office or coordinator, with eight of these offices located within health departments
• Twelve jurisdictions have laws establishing suicide prevention task forces, commissions, or other advisory bodies
• Thirty jurisdictions had a law establishing a committee, body, or other review process for some portion of suicide fatalities

On July 30, ASTHO is hosting a webinar focused on the new resource. Register here: State and Territorial Infrastructure for Suicide Prevention: Exploring New Legal Maps.

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.

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SOURCE Association of State and Territorial Health Officials