Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) said he will introduce a bill on Tuesday requiring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide suicide and overdose death statistics within 60 days after the end of each month.
“Every American lost to suicide or drug overdose is a crack in the heart of our country. In order to effectively combat this crisis, we need a multi-pronged strategy. This includes accurate and timely data from the CDC,” Green said.
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Green, a member of the GOP Doctors Caucus and a former flight surgeon for the U.S. Army, said accurate and timely data is critical for legislative action.
“Far too many families know the pain that comes with grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide or overdose. For lawmakers to make informed decisions, we need complete data,” Green said.
The Publish Overdose and Suicide Tracking for American Safety Today Act, or POST FAST Act, requires the collection and dissemination of data rapidly compared to the multi-month or multi-year delays in processing mortality statistics at the national level.
“Fentanyl is the leading cause of death of Americans 18-45,” Green told the Washington Examiner. “We are losing an entire generation to this deadly drug. And we don’t even know how bad the crisis is because what we do have from the CDC is over two years old. This has got to change.”
Provisional data from the CDC indicates that a total of 105,258 drug overdose deaths were reported during the 12-month period ending in February 2023, 75% of which were opioid-related.
The most recent suicide statistics from the CDC document that 48,183 people died by suicide in 2021, with another 12.3 million adults seriously contemplating suicide and 1.7 million attempting suicide. Suicide rates for girls ages 10 to 14 tripled from 2000 to 2020, and suicides for female adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 25 increased by 87% during the same period.
The Department of Health and Human Services has taken several steps this year to highlight the mental health crisis, especially addressing rates of suicide.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in May cited loneliness as an epidemic in the United States, connecting mental health and wellness to physical health outcomes and chronic conditions.
Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra celebrated the one-year anniversary of the 988 suicide prevention hotline, which those in crisis can call or text to receive emergency crisis counseling. The 988 hotline program has also been expanded to incorporate Spanish language counseling and specific services for gay and transgender individuals.
The Biden administration has also publicly stressed its commitment to combat fentanyl overdoses and deaths across the country.
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“Given the scourge of fentanyl in every city and state, I am optimistic that my legislation will have strong bipartisan support,” Green told the Washington Examiner when asked about possible setbacks in advancing the legislation.
Green also said he hopes Mandy Cohen, who replaced Rochelle Wallensky as CDC director on July 10, “will be receptive to this common-sense proposal.”