An Act To Establish The Suicide Mortality Review Panel

This bill creates the Suicide Mortality Review Panel in Maine to examine cases where individuals died by suicide, aiming to identify systemic gaps that could help prevent future deaths. The panel will be composed of diverse members including healthcare providers, public health officials, veterans service workers, youth service providers, law enforcement officers, and individuals with lived experience, all appointed by the Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The panel will review records related to confirmed, suspected, and undetermined suicides to understand contributing factors and recommend improvements to prevention efforts. The legislation defines key terms such as "next of kin" and "record" to ensure clear guidelines for information access and confidentiality during the review process.