CVS makes strides on reducing suicide attempts by Aetna members by 20%

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CVS Health has been working toward the goal of reducing suicide attempts by Aetna members by 20% by 2025, and today announced progress toward that end, seeing a 15.7% reduction in suicide attempts among Aetna members through March 2022 compared to 2019 baselines.

In 2017, Aetna, a CVS Health company, initiated its support for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's goal to reduce the suicide rate 20% by the year 2025, as part of AFSP's Project 2025 initiative. Inspired by this initiative, CVS Health launched its own goal to reduce suicide attempts by 20% among Aetna members by that same year.

Progress has been made on this front, the numbers show, with Aetna members older than 18 seeing a 17.5% decrease in suicide attempts in 2021 and a 34.1% decrease through March 2022 compared to the same 2019 baselines.

Work still needs to be done among the 13-17 year-old set, however. That age group has seen a 43% increase in suicide attempts in 2021 and 32% increase through March 2022 compared to 2019.

Earlier this year, three of the nation's top pediatric healthcare organizations declared a National State of Emergency in children's mental health, demonstrating an immediate need to address youth mental health.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 34, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. And about 90% of those who die by suicide have an underlying and potentially treatable mental health condition.

To make a dent in these statistics, CVS has focused on expanded resources and outreach to adolescents in particular. Aetna's Adolescent Outreach Program, for example, uses self-harm risk modeling to proactively support families with children at the highest risk of suicide attempt.

Meanwhile, Aetna's partnership with Vita Health and Oui Therapeutics provides access to Youth Nominated Support Teams and clinical outpatient programs with evidence-based therapies and interventions. And its Caring Contacts program reaches out to adolescent members with comfort items after they're discharged from inpatient or emergency department care for suicide ideation or attempts.

Aetna said it continues to work directly with healthcare providers to ensure they have the education and resources to identify and treat adolescents and young adults at risk of suicide.

THE LARGER TREND

A morbidity and mortality report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2021 supports the notion of suicide attempts being a prevalent problem among youth, with numbers showing emergency department utilization spiking among people aged 12-17. 

During 2020, the proportion of mental health-related ED visits among adolescents in that age group increased 31% compared with 2019. For providers, this means that adolescent suicide attempts may account for a statistically significant spike in ED utilization.

In March, the Department of Health and Human Services, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Office of Minority Health, said it would provide close to $35 million in funding toward strengthening and expanding mental health services and suicide prevention programs for children and young adults. Of the total, $9.2 million comes from the American Rescue Plan.

The funds are being spread out across seven grant programs. Some, such as the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention program and the GLS State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention program, address youth suicide directly.

That came on the heels of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra's recent National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health in which he sought to hear from Americans about their mental health struggles. The tour was part of a broader administration effort to engage with local leaders to bolster community mental health and crisis care systems.
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com