OLYMPIA, WA – Washington State’s suicide rate has been higher than the national average for at least two decades. According to Results Washington Director Mandeep Kaundal, in 2020, there were 15.4 deaths per 100,000 residents compared to the national rate of 13.5 deaths per 100,000. (See slides below).
During Governor Jay Inslee’s Results Washington meeting today, Kaundal said Washington ranked 25th in the nation and suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the state.
American Indian and Alaskan Natives had the highest rate of suicides in 2020 – 25.7 per 100,000 when compared to the state average of 15.4 per 100,000 people.
Kaundal says suicide is a complex, multi-factor issue.
David Puente, Jr., who was named today as the Director of the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, says Service Members are at a higher risk of suicide than the general population. In 2020, Inslee accepted the VA’s challenge among this group.
One of the provisions of House Bill 1181 was the creation of a suicide prevention license plate emblem.
Codie Garza, Suicide Prevention Prevention Manager with the state VA, says veteran suicides make up 18% of the state’s total number of suicides each year. She says while there is no one path to suicide, there are risks in particular groups.
Having a history of suicide loss is, in fact, a risk factor, Garza adds.
Meanwhile, Inslee says it is painful to him that our Veterans are experiencing such a high rate of suicides.
