Sebelius touts new strategy to prevent suicide

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius praised a new national strategy against suicide Monday, saying the effort is especially needed among younger people and veterans.

"In the 1990s, we saw a slow but steady decline in the number of Americans lost to suicide. But since then, suicide rates have begun to rise once again," Sebelius said in a speech.

"Thanks to this strategy ... we have a clear roadmap" for curbing the trend, she said. 

The national effort is the first in more than a decade to address suicide, which causes about 100 U.S. deaths each day.

The strategy involves a tool on Facebook, which allows users to report a friend's suicidal comments, triggering outreach to that person. Sebelius also announced about $56 million in new grants to anti-suicide programs.

Former Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), a co-chairman of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, said that the effort aims to save "20,000 lives."

Reuters has more on the story.

—This post was updated at 5:57 p.m.

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