San Jose should prioritize suicide prevention
Every year, between 54 and 75 San Jose residents die by suicide. That is higher than the number of auto-related deaths in the city. That is higher than the murder rate in the city.
Every year, nearly 45,000 Americans take their own lives—significantly higher than the 35,000 who die by gun violence annually in America. And when you consider the fact that 62 percent (over 21,000) of those who die by gun are suicides, the urgency and tragic pervasiveness of suicide come into sharp focus.
Suicide is a big and complicated issue, but we can all play a role in reducing the number of these entirely preventable deaths—as individuals, as families, and as a community.
After the San Jose City Council disappointingly failed to act during priority setting session last fall, Councilman Raul Peralez pledged to re-introduce a policy memo for thisMay’s priority setting session.
On Wednesday, Peralez delivered. His memo instructs city staff to create, in consultation with the community, a suicide prevention policy for the city of San Jose.
We urge the City Council to support this memo, and we ask you to join us.
Like far too many others, our lives have been forever changed by the suicide or attempt at suicide by loved ones. Vic Ojakian’s son, Adam, died by suicide 14 years ago while he was a student at UC Davis. Last year, Kathy Tran’s first love died by suicide after five previous attempts. In 2016, Paul Escobar’s mother attempted to take her life by overdosing on prescription pain medications. In 2017, Paul lost a dear friend to suicide.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, every suicide loss leaves behind an average of 100 people who are affected by it.
Far too many individuals and families know this suffering. Too many grapple with mental illness and thoughts of suicide alone and in silence, fearful of the pervasive stigma and misconceptions which surround these issues.
All of this suffering and loss is preventable.
And City Hall can help. Peralez’s proposal would build awareness about suicide and suicide prevention through existing city events and programs, collaboration with existing county and state agencies, and the creation of a communi- cations plan that would better disseminate important information about available resources to San Jose residents.
A suicide prevention policy would require limited city staff time, have little to no impact on the city’s strained budget, and would be an importantmessage from the city of San Jose that it prioritizes the lives and mental health of its residents.
Four Santa Clara County cities — Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Gatos and Morgan Hill, whose City Council voted unanimously in February this year — have already passed such policies. It is time San Jose joined them.
We thank Councilman Peralez for his unwavering commitment to this issue, and the support of Councilmen Chappie Jones and Don Rocha at last year’s priority setting. We hope to have the rest of the council’s support this time.
If you agree with us that the City Council must act, join us and a coalition of residents and organizations, led by BAYMEC, NAMI Santa Clara County, the Silicon Valley Young Democrats, and the Billy DeFrank Center. Reach out to your councilmember and tell them you support Councilman Peralez’s suicide prevention policy memo.
It is time for city hall to act. And we, as a community, must encourage city hall to do so.
Together, we can help save lives.