Opinion/Lofgren: Further reflection on suicide, and where funding can best save lives
Anna Lofgren is a graduate student in Rhode Island.
A recent column in The Providence Journal declared an urgent need for suicide safety barriers on Rhode Island bridges ("Make saving lives, and safer bridges, a priority," Commentary, Dec. 18). Over the last few decades there has been an increase in suicide barrier and net installations on bridges across the world. Despite the high cost of these projects, there is little apparent opposition. Barriers on bridges have been successful in saving lives but fail to address larger issues around mental health and wellness.
Given that suicide risk for young people is linked to poverty, investments in our community and youth are critical to abate suffering. The U.S. Census revealed that over 11% of Rhode Islanders live in poverty, and many of these individuals are children. Rhode Island ranked in the top 10 for most expensive states to live in 2022, likely contributing to difficulties for individuals and families.
According to the RI Kids Count, over 1,000 kids were homeless during the 2020-2021 school year and 25% of Rhode Island households with children reported that they struggled to meet basic food needs. Unlike neighboring Massachusetts, Rhode Island chose not to continue the universal free school lunch program. No child in our state should be hungry, and we have funds to ensure this.
Rhode Island’s state budget surplus sits at around $610 million. While there are many ways to utilize these funds, affordability of housing and food in our state are pressing issues. Links have been found between housing instability and suicidal ideation in veterans and LGBTQ youth. If we allocate money toward improving housing security, we might see declines in suicidal ideation.
The cost of housing in Rhode Island has risen at an unprecedented rate. The Providence Journal reported that rental costs in Providence increased 13% from 2020 to 2021, and that “more than 70% of lowest and lower-middle income renters were cost burdened, spending more than half of their incomes on housing.” In 2020, Crossroads RI distributed $2.2 million in rental assistance for Rhode Islanders in need. While that is a substantial amount, it pales in comparison to the cost of suicide barriers.
The design blueprint budget for Rhode Island suicide nets is earmarked around $1 million. Using evidence from other states, implementation of the project may cost over $100 million. In San Francisco, what was initially estimated to be a $142-million suicide net project has turned into a $400-million project. The price increase was due to miscalculations around design, alongside a lack of transparency on the bridge’s degeneration. San Francisco has been working on this project since 2018, with delays that have pushed the project far beyond its anticipated January 2021 completion date.
We might learn from other Western nations when it comes to investments in suicide prevention. Belgium and Canada constructed costly suicide barriers on bridges, then went on to legalize physician-assisted euthanasia for extreme cases of depression. While legal euthanasia is a separate debate, if physician-assisted suicide for mental illness became legal here as it is in other countries, we might find prioritization of preventive rather reactive measures preferable.
Everyone deserves a chance at a good life, and we should encourage efforts to reduce suicide however possible. Nourishing the root of a problem might reap fruit. As affordability becomes more of a problem across the state, we should deeply consider potential solutions and address everyday factors that contribute to mental health decline.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Opinion/Lofgren: Suicide barriers and where funding can best save lives
