How Health Systems Can Boost Treatment Access

Evidence shows that about half of people who die by suicide saw a health care provider in the month prior, suggesting that a critical opportunity exists to help these individuals. Right now, most hospitals and health care systems screen patients for suicide risk only when there is a behavioral health concern. With universal screening, everyone who enters the medical setting would be asked about suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Screening can be as short as two questions, but as experts and medical providers indicate, those questions can help save lives by connecting people to the care and treatment they need.