Syndromic surveillance of self-harm behaviors program

Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 317V of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–24) the following: 317W. Syndromic surveillance of self-harm behaviors program (a) In general The Secretary shall award grants to State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments for the expansion of surveillance of self-harm. (b) Data sharing by grantees As a condition of receipt of such grant under subsection (a), each grantee shall agree to share with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in real time, to the extent feasible and as specified in the grant agreement, data on suicides and self-harm for purposes of— (1) tracking and monitoring self-harm to inform response activities to suicide clusters; (2) informing prevention programming for identified at-risk populations; and (3) conducting or supporting research. (c) Disaggregation of data The Secretary shall provide for the data collected through surveillance of self-harm under subsection (b) to be disaggregated by the following categories: (1) Nonfatal self-harm data of any intent. (2) Data on suicidal ideation. (3) Data on self-harm where there is no evidence, whether implicit or explicit, of suicidal intent. (4) Data on self-harm where there is evidence, whether implicit or explicit, of suicidal intent. (5) Data on self-harm where suicidal intent is unclear based on the available evidence. (d) Priority In making awards under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that are— (1) located in a State with an age-adjusted rate of nonfatal suicidal behavior that is above the national rate of nonfatal suicidal behavior, as determined by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (2) serving an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act) with an age-adjusted rate of nonfatal suicidal behavior that is above the national rate of nonfatal suicidal behavior, as determined through appropriate mechanisms determined by the Secretary in consultation with Indian Tribes; or (3) located in a State with a high rate of coverage of statewide (or Tribal) emergency department visits, as determined by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (e) Geographic distribution In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall make an effort to ensure geographic distribution, taking into account the unique needs of rural communities, including— (1) communities with an incidence of individuals with serious mental illness, demonstrated suicidal ideation or behavior, or suicide rates that are above the national average, as determined by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use; (2) communities with a shortage of prevention and treatment services, as determined by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration; and (3) other appropriate community-level factors and social determinants of health such as income, employment, and education. (f) Period of participation To be selected as a grant recipient under this section, a State, local, Tribal, or territorial public health department shall agree to participate in the program for a period of not less than 4 years. (g) Technical assistance The Secretary shall provide technical assistance and training to grantees for collecting and sharing the data under subsection (b). (h) Data sharing by HHS Subject to subsection (c), the Secretary shall, with respect to data on self-harm that is collected pursuant to this section, share and integrate such data through— (1) the platform of the National Syndromic Surveillance Program Early Notification of Community-Based Epidemics (ESSENCE) (or any successor platform); (2) the National Violent Death Reporting System (or any successor platform), as appropriate; or (3) another appropriate surveillance program, including such a program that collects data on suicides and self-harm among special populations, such as members of the military and veterans. (i) Rule of construction regarding applicability of privacy protections Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or alter the application of Federal or State law relating to the privacy of information to data or information that is collected or created under this section. (j) Report (1) Submission Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of the Suicide Prevention Act, the Secretary shall evaluate the suicide and self-harm syndromic surveillance systems at the Federal, State, and local levels and submit a report to Congress on the data collected under subsection (b) in a manner that prevents the disclosure of individually identifiable information, at a minimum, consistent with all applicable privacy laws and regulations. (2) Contents In addition to the data collected under subsection (b), the report under paragraph (1) shall include— (A) challenges and gaps in data collection and reporting; (B) recommendations to address such gaps and challenges; and (C) a description of any public health responses initiated at the Federal, State, or local level in response to the data collected. (k) Authorization of appropriations To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030..