2021 to 2026 Saw Increase in State Funding for Suicide Prevention

MONDAY, Sept. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Over time, there has been an increase in funding explicitly allocated for suicide prevention and crisis services in state budgets, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in JAMA Network Open.

Jonathan Purtle, Dr.P.H., from the School of Global Public Health at New York University in New York City, and colleagues quantified funding explicitly allocated for suicide prevention and crisis services in enacted state budgets for fiscal years 2021 to 2026.

The researchers found that the mean annual per-capita budget amount explicitly allocated for suicide prevention and crisis services across 306 enacted state budgets was $3.63, and the mean annual percentage of the total state budget allocated was 0.054 percent. During the study period, there was a significant increase in the annual mean state per-capita funding for suicide prevention and crisis services (e.g., state mean budget per capita, $1.05 in 2021 and $6.55 in 2025) and in the annual percentage budget allocations (B: 0.010 percentage points). No significant association was seen between state suicide death rate quartile and state per-capita or percentage budget allocation for suicide prevention and crisis services. States that had enacted a 988 telecom fee in the prior year or earlier had a mean state-level per-capita allocation for suicide prevention and crisis services that was more than twice as large as in states without ($7.73 versus $3.13).

“The finding that states with telecom fees allocated significantly more funding for suicide prevention suggests that such fees are a promising strategy to enhance crisis service infrastructure,” Purtle said in a statement.

Two authors disclosed ties to industry.

Abstract/Full Text