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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Senate Hearing on Native Youth Suicide Prevention

Original title: DEMANDING RESULTS TO END NATIVE YOUTH SUICIDES

January 1, 2015

Native American health youth suicide prevention mental health Indian Health Service tribal affairs

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing serves as a formal oversight mechanism to pressure federal agencies, specifically the Indian Health Service, to improve mental health outcomes and suicide prevention services for Native American youth.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Native American youth

They are the primary demographic experiencing the suicide crisis discussed in the hearing.

Indian Health Service

The agency is under congressional scrutiny regarding its performance and delivery of mental health services.

Tribal leaders

They are responsible for managing community health and safety in response to suicide clusters.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2015.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an to address the high rates of suicide among Native American youth. The committee reviewed current federal efforts and discussed the need for a more effective, evidence-based strategy to support tribal communities.

Key Facts

Youth suicide is the second leading cause of death for Indian youth aged 15 to 24.
Native youth suicide rates are 2.5 times the national average as of 2012.
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation reported 11 suicides and 379 suicide attempts in the six months prior to the hearing.
The White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin were cited as examples of communities that have successfully reduced suicide numbers.
The Committee criticized the Administration for submitting testimony late, only one day before the hearing.
The hearing was the sixth formal committee hearing on this specific issue over a ten-year period.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was this hearing held?

To address the ongoing crisis of high suicide rates among Native American youth and to demand better results from federal agencies.

What specific data was cited regarding the crisis?

Data from 2011 and 2012 showed suicide as the second leading cause of death for Native youth, with rates 2.5 times the national average.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Shift toward evidence-based oversight

The committee is explicitly moving away from general discussion toward demanding measurable, evidence-based results from federal agencies.

Committee on Indian Affairs Indian Health Service

Connected Entities

personCollins C.J. Clifford“Tribal Council Member, Oglala Sioux Tribe”Map →

personJohn Barrasso“Chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs”Map →

locationPine Ridge Indian Reservation“Reservation cited for high rates of suicide and attempts”Map →

organizationIndian Health Service“Federal agency responsible for health services to American Indians”Map →

organizationCommittee on Indian Affairs“U.S. Senate committee conducting the hearing”Map →

personRobert G. Mcswain“Acting Director of the Indian Health Service”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy60
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment20
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

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