NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Three grantees that will be receiving funding for suicide prevention for the next fiscal year have been announced. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) made the announcement Wednesday.
For the 2019-2020 budget, Governor Lee proposed and the Tennessee General Assembly approved $500,000 in new, recurring state funding for youth and young adult suicide prevention and mental health awareness programs.
The three grantees of this new funding were chosen after a statewide competitive process. Potential grantees were to propose innovative ways of reducing the state's number of unnecessary deaths.
"I am grateful to Governor Lee and the General Assembly for appropriating this funding, and I'm thankful to our partner providers in the community for stepping up with great ideas to meet this need," said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams. "We're losing too many Tennesseans to suicide, and it's especially troubling when young lives are cut short. With the new ability to reach more of our youth and young adults, we will definitely make a difference
The three grantees and their proposed programs are below.
Tennessee Voices for Children: Expand coverage of the Youth Screen program to all 95 counties in partnership with school-based behavioral health liaisons, and integrate Teen Mental Health First Aid for youth ages 14-18 and Coping and Support Training for youth ages 10-13.
Centerstone: Engage pediatric practices in suicide prevention trainings and protocols, and train people at institutions of higher education on the Zero Suicide model.
Mental Health Association of East Tennessee: Expand Mental Health 101 to serve 20,000 students at 50-60 previously unserved schools, and mental health awareness social media campaign.
Tennessee's statewide crisis line (855-CRISIS-1) is available 24/7 to talk to people contemplating suicide or having other mental health emergencies. You can learn more about the Statewide Crisis Line here.
