§2.Zero Suicide Initiative pilot program
This section establishes a pilot program called the Zero Suicide Initiative, to be implemented by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs not later than 180 days after enactment of the Act, using the curriculum of the Zero Suicide Institute of the Education Development Center to train staff at five Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers—including one primarily serving rural and remote veterans—on suicide care practices aimed at reducing veteran suicide rates. (As background, the Zero Suicide framework is a comprehensive, system-wide approach to suicide prevention in healthcare settings through staff training, policy improvements, and data-driven quality enhancement.)
The first year of the program is dedicated to development, planning, and site selection—with 15 candidate sites selected not later than 180 days after enactment and the final five sites not later than 270 days after enactment—considering factors such as staff interest and capacity, geographic and size variations, regional veteran suicide rates, and population demographics served; site selection and program development require consultation with specified federal agencies (e.g., National Institute of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), VA offices, and the Zero Suicide Institute.
At each site, five to ten staff leaders receive at least ten weeks of education to (1) complete the Institute's organizational self-study, (2) attend its two-day Zero Suicide Academy, (3) plan data collection for evaluation, (4) communicate the suicide care approach, (5) administer the Institute's workforce survey on staff competence in suicide risk care, and (6) review, develop, and implement training on suicide-related processes and policies including screening, assessment, electronic health records, risk formulation, treatment, and care transitions.
Not later than two years after program establishment—and annually thereafter until termination—the Secretary must submit progress reports to the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs assessing staff progress, training completion rates, policy alignment with Institute standards (e.g., suicide screening, lethal means counseling, safety planning), and site-specific suicide-related outcomes compared to other VA medical centers (e.g., screening and referral percentages, emergency visits, suicide attempts and deaths); a final report, due one year after program termination, must analyze annual report data and evaluate program effectiveness and outcomes.