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Release: October 22, 2004
Contact: Joelle Reizes, 513-683-1599
SCREENING FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS GARRETT LEE SMITH
MEMORIAL ACT
External Relations Director Joelle Reizes was honored to be a
witness to the signing of the nation’s first ever youth suicide
prevention bill. The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act was signed into law by
President George W. Bush on October 21, 2004 in an intimate ceremony in the
White House Roosevelt Room.
This law authorizes a total of $82 million dollars to be spent over three years
on youth suicide prevention efforts. It is named after Senator Gordon
Smith’s (R-OR) son, Garrett Smith, who lost his life to suicide only a
year ago. Mrs. Smith, holding a photo of Garrett, was beside her husband at the
signing along with their two remaining children.
The Smith family has been a stalwart, courageous voice for suicide prevention
since their son’s death. They are determined to find a way to make
meaning out of their grief and see this bill as a strong first step.
The bill, which remains to be fully funded, was passed by overwhelming majority
earlier this year. Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) was a sponsor of the bill and was
responsible for putting Garrett’s name on it.
The bill will provide funding for states to enact youth suicide prevention
programs aimed at teens and college students. It highlights the need to
incorporate voluntary, evidenced-based screening programs such as the SOS High
School Suicide Prevention Program.
Senator and Mrs. Smith are dedicated to finding a way to keep other families
from suffering a loss like theirs. Screening for Mental Health pledges to
support the Smiths in their work by continuing to promote the importance of
screening and early identification of mental illness.
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Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
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