SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Spurred on by the story of a teenage girl who killed herself after calling a suicide prevention line and getting no answer, a Utah state lawmaker wants to make a law requiring all crisis lines be staffed around the clock.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Rep. Steve Eliason said Friday that he is calling his proposal, “Hannah’s bill” in honor of Hannah Warburton of Huntsville, who in 2015 took her own life.
Her mother Laura Warburton cried as she watched the House unanimously pass the bill, sending it to the Senate.
Eliason, a Republican, says the 20 crisis numbers in Utah receive about 10,000 calls annually.
Legislative analysts estimate it would cost the state about $2.4 million each year to ensure every call gets answered.
Youth suicides have spiked to alarming levels in the last five years in Utah.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
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