Maryland
Maryland suicide prevention plans and initiatives
The Maryland Governor’s Commission on Suicide Prevention was originally established by a 2009 executive order and updated in 2018 to expand membership and align objectives with current trends. The Maryland Suicide Prevention Program is housed within the Maryland Department of Health’s Office of Integrated Wellness and Prevention (previously known as the Office of Suicide Prevention). The Office provides suicide prevention, substance use, and problem gambling training, resources, and technical assistance to advance the development of comprehensive prevention, intervention, and postvention service systems for individuals, families, groups, and communities across Maryland. In 2022, the Maryland General Assembly authorized the Maryland Suicide Fatality Review Committee to identify and address factors contributing to suicide mortality.
As of the 2018 amendment, the Commission must submit a two-year plan to the Governor that outlines the (1) emerging needs, (2) priorities and strategies, (3) promising practices and programs, (4) recommendations for coordination and collaboration among State agencies, and (5) training for the organization, delivery, and funding of suicide prevention, intervention, and post-suicide services. See the most recent report here: Maryland Suicide Prevention Plan (2022-2024).
Maryland laws
Key:
- Required by law
- Encouraged by law
- No law in place
Crisis lines and 988 implementation
- Addresses 988 infrastructure and provides for telecom user fee
- Addresses 988 infrastructure but does not include telecom user fee
- 988 law limited to creating an exploratory commission, advisory committee, or task force
Mental health parity
- Public health plans (e.g., Medicaid) regularly submit parity compliance analyses to state regulators
- Private health plans (individual and group) regularly submit parity compliance analyses to state regulators
K – 12 school suicide prevention
- Inclusion of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and/or other crisis line(s) on student ID cards
- Student allowances for excused mental health absences
- School personnel must report student suicide risk to a parent and/or guardian
- Suicide prevention and/or mental health training for certain school personnel, annual
- Suicide prevention and/or mental health training for certain school personnel, not annual
- Suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies/programming
- Student education on suicide prevention
- Student education on mental health
Health professional training in suicide assessment, treatment and management
- Mental health professionals receive regular training
- Mental health professionals receive one time training
- Medical/surgical professionals receive regular training
- Medical/surgical professionals receive one time training
Conversion therapy bans
- Prohibits licensed/board certified mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy with minors under 18 years of age
- Prohibits licensed/board certified mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy with vulnerable adults
- Prohibits use of state funds for any purpose related to conversion therapy (e.g., conducting, making a referral for, or extending health benefits coverage for)
University and college campus suicide prevention
- Inclusion of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and/or other crisis line(s) on student ID cards
- Students receive information on available mental health and/or suicide prevention services and/or resources
- Adoption of suicide prevention/awareness policy or program
Firearms
- Process for extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs)
- State voluntary do not sell list