Massachusetts
Massachusetts suicide prevention plans and initiatives
The Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention (MCSP) is public/private partnership that works closely with and is primarily funded by the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH). MCSP assists in the formation of and provides technical assistance to regional coalitions, hosts/sponsors conferences and events, and led the development of the Massachusetts Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention (2015), released in collaboration with DPH and the Department of Mental Health. DPH, through its Suicide Prevention Program within the Division of Violence and Injury Prevention, provides support to community agencies, education and training for stakeholders, and funds for youth, Veteran, and older adult programs. The program also encourages communities to collaborate across disciplines to prevent suicide across the lifespan.
DPH also releases an annual report that collects and analyzes the data on all suicides in Massachusetts, the latest report was published in 2023.
Massachusetts laws
Key:
- Required by law
- Encouraged by law
- No law in place
Crisis lines and 988 implementation
- Addresses 988 infrastructure and provides for telecom user fee
- Addresses 988 infrastructure but does not include telecom user fee
- 988 law limited to creating an exploratory commission, advisory committee, or task force
Mental health parity
- Public health plans (e.g., Medicaid) regularly submit parity compliance analyses to state regulators
- Private health plans (individual and group) regularly submit parity compliance analyses to state regulators
K – 12 school suicide prevention
- Inclusion of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and/or other crisis line(s) on student ID cards
- Student allowances for excused mental health absences
- School personnel must report student suicide risk to a parent and/or guardian
- Suicide prevention and/or mental health training for certain school personnel, annual
- Suicide prevention and/or mental health training for certain school personnel, not annual
- Suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies/programming
- Student education on suicide prevention
Health professional training in suicide assessment, treatment and management
- Mental health professionals receive regular training
- Mental health professionals receive one time training
- Medical/surgical professionals receive regular training
- Medical/surgical professionals receive one time training
Conversion therapy bans
- Prohibits licensed/board certified mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy with minors under 18 years of age
- Prohibits licensed/board certified mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy with vulnerable adults
- Prohibits use of state funds for any purpose related to conversion therapy (e.g., conducting, making a referral for, or extending health benefits coverage for)
University and college campus suicide prevention
- Inclusion of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and/or other crisis line(s) on student ID cards
- Students receive information on available mental health and/or suicide prevention services and/or resources
- Adoption of suicide prevention/awareness policy or program