WASHINGTON—Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the senior Republican in the United States Senate, will convene a roundtable discussion in Salt Lake City on December 16, 2016 to address the issue of teenage suicide. Senator Hatch has invited experts in health, education, behavioral studies, and local government to participate in order to learn more about initiatives in this field, identify ways to increase collaboration, and generate thought-provoking dialogue on prevention and treatment.

“In less than a decade, teen suicide has nearly tripled in Utah, and far too many grieving families are left wondering why. Local leaders are rising to the challenge with new, creative prevention and support efforts. I appreciate their efforts, and I am committed to supporting them on behalf of Utah families.”

Background: In July the Utah Department of Health released a study indicating that suicide had become the leading cause of death for Utahns between the ages of 10-17, and that Utah had the 8^th highest youth suicide rate in the U.S. for the years 2012-15. Throughout his term of service, Senator Hatch has championed a number of efforts to support youth and families, including improving the foster care and adoption system, fighting Utah’s opioid crisis, reforming the juvenile justice system, improving outcomes for homeless youth, finding new ways to address the needs of high-risk, disadvantaged, and delinquent youth, and improving mental healthcare.