New York lawmakers are again pressing for a state-level examination of suicide in rural communities, where research has found substantially higher suicide rates and persistent barriers to mental health and substance use treatment.
State Sen. Tom O’Mara highlighted the issue in his weekly column for Sept. 21, calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation establishing a temporary Rural Suicide Prevention Council. The measure, S.3610A/A.8434, passed both houses of the Legislature in June after a similar proposal was vetoed by Hochul in 2024.
The proposal comes against a documented rural-urban disparity in suicide deaths. A 2023 report from NORC at the University of Chicago found a rural New York suicide rate of 15.2 deaths per 100,000 people compared with 7.5 per 100,000 in urban areas. The report found the rural rate increased 83.1% between 2004 and 2020 and jumped 17% between 2019 and 2020 alone.
Researchers identified several factors affecting rural communities, including shortages of mental health services, longer distances to providers, transportation problems, economic pressures, lower use of available services and stigma surrounding mental health treatment.
O’Mara, who represents portions of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes, has joined Sen. Pam Helming and other lawmakers in supporting the legislation. He credited Steuben County Legislator Joseph Tobia with helping drive the effort following the 2021 suicide death of Tobia’s son, Matt.
What the proposed council would examine
The current bill would create a 15-member council within the state Office of Mental Health. Three seats would go to the commissioners of Mental Health, Health and Agriculture and Markets, or their designees, while another 12 members would be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders.
The legislation directs the council to examine barriers to mental health and substance use treatment in rural areas, determine whether rural communities have adequate peer-support and crisis services, and study use of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
It would also examine suicide among vulnerable rural populations, including farmers and agricultural workers, and recommend ways to better coordinate mental health, substance use and suicide prevention programs. The council could recommend funding changes and additional legislation.
Members would not be paid for serving on the council, though the legislation allows reimbursement for necessary expenses. The council would meet at least three times per year and would be required to produce a preliminary report within nine months and a final report within 18 months. The law creating it would expire after two years.
Tobia has argued that part of the council’s work should involve examining the months leading up to suicide deaths to determine where individuals encountered barriers and where interventions might have been possible. In O’Mara’s column, Tobia described his own son’s experience navigating schizophrenia and addiction as an example of why he believes a closer examination of those systems is needed.
Hochul previously vetoed a similar proposal
A previous version of the Rural Suicide Prevention Council legislation passed both houses in 2024 but was vetoed by Hochul. Legislative sponsors said the governor cited fiscal concerns and pointed to existing state mental health and suicide-prevention efforts. The current bill’s legislative history confirms the earlier measure was vetoed.
New York already funds a range of suicide-prevention initiatives through the Office of Mental Health. In 2024, for example, Hochul announced $15 million over five years for programs aimed at reducing suicide risk among historically underserved young people, including some populations in rural areas.
Supporters of the rural council argue those broader programs don’t eliminate the need to study conditions specific to rural communities. O’Mara disputed the fiscal argument in his column, noting that council members would serve without compensation and arguing that the state is already conducting broader suicide-prevention work.
The legislation’s official fiscal note, however, does not assign a specific cost and instead lists its fiscal implications as “to be determined.”
O’Mara also criticized both Hochul and the Legislature’s Democratic majorities for not previously incorporating the proposal into the state budget. Those statements reflect his political assessment of how the issue has been handled; the legislation ultimately passed the Senate and Assembly without opposition this year.
As of September, the Senate’s legislative tracker lists S.3610A as having passed both chambers. If enacted, the council would take effect 60 days after becoming law.
Anyone experiencing a mental health or suicide crisis can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
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