BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) – There is an effort underway to put suicide prevention directly in the hands of college students.
According to experts, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.
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But a bill currently on Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk could give students a new tool. It’s called the Student Lifeline Act, and it would put a national suicide prevention number on the back of all college ID cards across the state.
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“Any tool we can put in our toolbox to help our youth is a great tool,” explains Christine Ziemba, director of special projects at Spectrum Health.
If the governor signs the bill, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number 988 will be placed on the back of students’ college ID cards beginning in July 2025. Both the New York State Senate and Assembly have passed related bills aimed at ensuring higher education reaches students between the ages of 18 and 24.
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I spoke to mental health expert Christine Ziemba, who told me that issuing 988 student ID cards could save lives.
“If it’s right there, they’re more likely to use it,” Ziema explained.
“So the importance of the 988 suicide hotline would really make a difference?” Buckley asked. “And it’s also a text number, so 988 has several parts – it’s a phone number, it’s a text number, and there’s a very robust website,” Ziemba replied.
Although the bill is only aimed at college-age students for now, I reached out to the superintendent of a local school who told me that calling out school children might be beneficial.
“I think printing that on the student ID is a very good idea. It costs little, but the savings could be astronomical,” noted Mark Laurrie, superintendent of the Niagara Falls City School District.
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Laurie tells me he would implement it if the state approved it for high school and middle school students.
“I would encourage making this part of the ID card repertoire of high school students. I don’t think we need to legislate for this. I think we should do it simply because it’s good practice,” Laurrie replied.
Laurrie has already implemented the anonymous reporting system “Sandy Hook Promise Say Something,” which includes a phone number and an app.
“The Sandy Hook Promise is an anonymous phone number that we have taught all of our students in grades 7 through 12. If they feel like they are feeling bad, are considering suicide, or maybe they are a victim of bullying, they can call this number. It is anonymous and calls are answered immediately,” Laurrie explained.
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Laurrie told me that three months after the rollout, he started seeing results. 15 calls were made by students, 12 were not life-threatening, but others were very serious.
“And three of those were considered potentially life-saving calls. Two of those, two out of three, involved suicide,” Laurrie noted. “In one of the cases, it was a student reporting about an elementary school student that he had heard talking about suicide. So I think it’s effective. I think we need to continue to educate the kids.”
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Laurrie explained that the system they use is divided into categories:
- Non-threatening calls can wait up to eight hours, at which point an administrator will call and say it may be bullying and should be investigated.
- Life-threatening calls if someone is having suicidal thoughts or perhaps heard a friend talking about suicide, where they can act immediately
Ziemba pointed out that unfortunately suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 24 and that even younger children are affected by suicide.
“Suicide and suicide attempts are increasingly affecting our younger population. This is worrying and, given that it is the second leading cause of death, the concern is even greater,” Ziemba noted.
