A bipartisan bill awaiting action from Gov. Kathy Hochul hopes to tackle the issue of suicide in rural areas of New York state.

A report released last year from the University of Chicago found the suicide rate in those areas is double that of urban New York.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Pam Helming, would create a Rural Suicide Prevention Council.

“This task force would be charged with pinpointing exactly what it is we should be doing in our rural communities to reduce the number of suicides and the number of families who are being destroyed by suicide deaths,” she said.

Helming argued that much energy has gone into improving mental health, suicide prevention and substance use prevention resources in urban settings, and the task force would seek to create a framework that is tailored to individual rural areas across the state, acknowledging the cultural differences.

“Things like access to services, availability of services, the lack of transportation in our communities,” she said.

Glenn Liebman, CEO of the Mental Health Association in New York State, told Spectrum News 1 that it’s no secret individuals who are experiencing mental health challenges and considering suicide often feel isolated emotionally, but emphasized that in New York’s rural areas, they can also find themselves isolated from the resources they need to find help.

“They have to have access, otherwise they are going to be isolated,” he said. “They are spread away from each other. The scary part is they are a much higher percentage.”

Part of the task forces work will be examining how New York’s 988 hotline functions in these regions.

Liebman says understanding the impact of resources like 988 and telehealth is key in areas where there may be no actual health facilities in the vicinity.

“You have a vehicle through 988 where you can actually talk to someone without driving an hour or an hour and a half to get to a mental health provider,” he said.

If approved, the council would have 18 months from the time the bill becomes effective to compile a report with their recommendations.