Full Text of SR1780 100th General Assembly
SR1780 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Suicide is a major public health problem and a | 3 | | leading cause of death in the United States
that can have | 4 | | lasting effects on the family, friends, and communities of the | 5 | | person who acts to take his or her
life; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the | 7 | | United States, and in 2015, was responsible
for 44,193 deaths, | 8 | | or approximately one suicide death every 12 minutes; more than | 9 | | 1,000 Illinoisans die each
year by suicide; Illinois death by | 10 | | suicide averages 2.9 every day, and suicide attempts average | 11 | | 16.7 every day;
individuals ages 15 to 19 have the highest | 12 | | suicide attempt rate for any age group in Illinois; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Goal 1 of the Illinois Department of Public | 14 | | Health's Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan is
to "... increase | 15 | | awareness, knowledge, and competency in suicide prevention, | 16 | | assessment and treatment for first
responders and health care, | 17 | | social service, clergy, law enforcement and school personnel"; | 18 | | and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Following the tragic loss of their 27-year old | 20 | | son, Stephen, the fifth of their eight children,
to suicide on | 21 | | June 13. 1987, Stephen's parents, Edward and Mary Alice Sexton, | 22 | | decided to make their son's
death a motivation for furthering |
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| 1 | | life; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, To realize that goal, the Sextons founded the | 3 | | Stephen Sexton Memorial Foundation in 1987
to raise funds for | 4 | | programs focused on the unmet need they discovered for suicide | 5 | | prevention, awareness,
and research programs in Illinois; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Since its founding, the foundation has raised over | 7 | | $1 million in funding for these
programs, almost exclusively | 8 | | through the grassroots fundraising efforts of members of the | 9 | | Sexton Family and
their friends; these programs include, among | 10 | | others, Maryville Academy's Stephen Sexton Training Institute | 11 | | and the Glenview Youth Service; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that in light of the | 14 | | critical importance of expanding suicide prevention and | 15 | | awareness in
Illinois, and in recognition of the commitment and | 16 | | pioneering efforts of the Sexton Family over more than 30
years | 17 | | to fund prevention and awareness programs in Illinois in honor | 18 | | of the life of their son, Stephen T. Sexton,
that we declare | 19 | | June 13, 2018 as Suicide Awareness Day in Illinois; and be it | 20 | | further | 21 | | RESOLVED, That we encourage the sharing of suicide | 22 | | awareness and prevention strategies among
individuals, |
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| 1 | | communities and organizations so that all Illinoisans have | 2 | | access to the resources they need to
discuss suicide awareness | 3 | | and prevention and dispel the myths, stigma, and shame | 4 | | surrounding suicide that
hinders efforts to prevent it; and be | 5 | | it further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 7 | | presented to the Sexton family, the Maryville Academy, and the | 8 | | Glenview Youth Service.
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