A little less than half of people in the nation who commit suicide visit their primary care providers within a month of their death, according to the Montana’s Suicide Mortality Review Team’s 2016 report.
A bill working its way through the Montana Legislature would make it mandatory for health care providers to complete training in order to recognize signs a person is considering suicide, including nonverbal cues.
Republican Rep. Wendy McKamey is carrying House Bill 71 and says it’s important to remember that only 23 percent of our communication is verbal.
“You have the remainder 77 percent that is nonverbal, and a lot of this is interpreting the communication,” McKamey said.
The House passed the bill, sending it to the Senate for consideration on a vote of 84 to 14. The Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee hears the bill Monday.
Freddy Monares is a reporter with the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation.