Student Life Act would require colleges to put suicide line on back of college IDs

Lewiston, N.Y. (WBEN) - Could mandating three numbers on the back of a Student ID card make a difference in combating the mental health challenges of our youth?

Gov. Kathy Hochul will soon sign into law the Student Lifeline Act, a bill passed by the state legislature that will require all college campuses in New York State to place the new national suicide prevention lifeline number, 988, on the back of Student ID cards.

"I do believe that putting a number like 988, on the back of Student IDs would greatly decrease the amount of crises that students encounter throughout their college career, as efforts like the Student Lifeline Act aim to reduce the rates by increasing access to mental health resources. And 988, is just one of the many resources available to students across the nation," said Brittany Derry, director of the crisis center at BestSelf Behavioral Health.

Derry notes she has seen an increase in young adults seeking mental health services coming out of the pandemic. In addition, suicide rates have increased significantly over the past decade.

According to the Jed Foundation, 12.6 million people between the ages of 18 and 25 experienced a mental, behavioral, or emotional health issue in the past year. This amounts to 1-in-3 (36.2%) young adults, a percentage that is higher than any other adult age range. This rate has increased significantly over the past several years (from 22.1% in 2016).

According to the CDC, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 20-34.

If the governor were to sign this bill into law, the national suicide prevention lifeline number, in addition to website information and other numbers will be installed onto all Student ID cards by July of 2025.

Universities and as well as high schools and middle schools in the state have implemented various crisis helpline numbers on IDs. Niagara University has implemented the national suicide prevention number on the back of student IDs for the fall semester.

"Although it's one additional tool, it really needs to be part of a comprehensive program to help to address what we know is the growing concern for mental health of the 18-to-24 year old college age population," said Christopher Sheffield, VP of Student Affairs at Niagara University.

According to Harlem World, over 8 million middle and high school students (grades 6-12) in 12 states (Calif., Del., Ill., Mo., N.H., Okla., S.C., Texas, Wash., Wis., W.Va., N.J.) and nearly 1 million college students in New York now have 988 and Crisis Text Line’s numbers printed on the back of all student IDs.