A study by Ohio State University researchers shows states that increased the number of behavioral health jobs by ten percent saw a one-point-two percent decrease in suicides by firearms.
The study is based on a comparison of national suicide data with behavioral health employment data from 2005-2015. Study co-author Tom Wickizer:
Wickizer says health-care providers also can play a role in reducing firearm deaths:
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The study estimates it would take more than 15 million dollars in mental-health workforce dollars to prevent one firearm suicide in Ohio. The study is published in the October issue of the journal called Health Affairs.
