Within the state of Tennessee, suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth aged 15-24, and the rate for this age cohort exceeds the national rate in one-third of the state’s counties. In 2003, at least 3,600 teenagers and young adults within our state attempted suicide.* In 2001-02, 18% of surveyed middle school students considered suicide, 7.2% attempted suicide, and 2.6% required medical attention following an attempt.**
In response, the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network began implementation of the Tennessee Lives Count (TLC) on behalf of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, effective February 1, 2006. The project is funded by a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in accordance with the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act of 2004.
TLC is a statewide early intervention/prevention project intended to reduce suicides and suicide attempts for youth aged 10-24. The project targets youth at extreme risk for suicide, such as those in state custody, juvenile justice facilities, alternative schools, and special education programs; gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth; youth with disciplinary and/or truancy problems; and other high risk populations.
The primary focus of TLC involves the training of gatekeepers—persons who work with and supervise youth and who are in a position to identify and help troubled and/or suicidal teens and young adults. These include staff within schools; youth and social services departments; the juvenile justice system; universities, etc., as well as foster parents. These gatekeepers will receive training in the Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) suicide intervention curriculum, This evidence-based basic awareness program teaches ordinary citizens how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, offer hope to troubled individuals, connect them with the crisis response and mental health resources they need, and ultimately save lives. This training will prepare adults who work with children to identify and address prevention/intervention needs within high-risk populations. Members of statewide professional associations will also receive this training, as well as five state advisory boards/commissions.
MOUs between the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities and the Tennessee Departments of Education, Health, Children’s Services, and juvenile courts will ensure that such training continues beyond the grant period. Additionally, university faculty and students enrolled in schools of social work, counseling, education, and psychology will be trained to ensure that future graduates are well prepared to identify and appropriately address youth at risk for suicide.
The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network hopes to accomplish the following by way of the Tennessee Lives Count project by 2009:
• 14,000 gatekeepers, including 200 university faculty and 1,000 students trained in QPR and lethality assessment, who will impact at least 180,000 high-risk youth,
• state agency memorandum of understandings (MOUs) mandating gatekeeper training,
• development and distribution of resource directories and materials tailored to specific regions of the state,
• statewide taskforce completion of a needs assessment with policy/legislative recommendations,
• education of at least fifteen professional organizations and five state advisory boards/commissions,
• involvement of the Youth Suicide Prevention Taskforce throughout the project,
• development of a sustainability plan, and
• completion of three project evaluations, coordinated with SAMHSA’s national evaluation.
Staff
The TLC staff's day-to-day operations are managed by a Project Director responsible for general duties associated with the implementation of the TLC Project, which includes training, networking, advocacy on behalf of the project. Two Project Trainers are charged with gatekeeper trainings, assisting the Director in creating resource directories, and participation in and organization of advocacy activities. The Adminstrative Assistant handles the administrative aspects of the project, including bookkeeping and scheduling of trainings.
Jason H. Padgett, MPA, MSM-PM
TLC Project Coordinator
As Project Coordinator, Padgett manages daily operation of the program and oversees duties associated with implementation of TLC, including management of TLC staff, coordination of training sessions, inter-agency networking, and advocacy for suicide prevention within the realm of public policy.
Padgett previously served as Director of Community and Grassroots Outreach for the Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN USA). He directed two national programs aimed at advancing public awareness and public policy. Additionally, he traveled the country delivering the “Strategic Planning for Suicide Prevention: Core Competencies in Community Prevention Workshop” on behalf the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, working with community, state and national leaders in the suicide prevention movement.
Coming to Tennessee is something of a homecoming; his wife Robyn hails from Brentwood, and he previously worked as the Suicide Prevention Program Administrator at the Kentucky Department for Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services.
Padgett has just completed his Master of Science in Management degree with an emphasis in Project Management. He also holds a Master in Public Administration degree from the University of Kentucky’s Martin School for Public Policy and Administration. Furthermore, he has considerable experience in event planning, website layout, multiple computer applications and personnel management.
But most importantly, he has a driving interest in suicide prevention, motivated by concerns for a close family member who has survived multiple attempts and the recent suicide death of a cousin.
Nevels has an extensive history of serving in various social services and educational programs. She has had the opportunity to be a part of such organizations that include Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, Child Advocacy Centers, the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office, Metro Action Commission and Child Care Resource and Referral.
A Nashville native, Nevels graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2003 with a Bachelors degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Child Development and Family Studies with a minor in Education. She recently completed her Masters degree in Psychology with a concentration in Counseling from Trevecca Nazarene University.
Nevels has always had a specific interest in working with at-risk children and advocating for abused children, domestic violence victims and victims of crime/trauma. Michelle has a specific interest and motivation in suicide prevention due to the loss of her father 23 years ago by suicide.
Pike has worked in a variety of capacities for several non-profit organizations in Nashville. Most recently he was the Director of the Domestic Violence Intervention Center, providing batterers intervention classes for both men and women who had been convicted of or who had plead guilty to domestic violence charges.
He has also worked as a Program Coordinator with the YWCA’s Weaver Domestic Violence Shelter, the Coordinator of Training for Centerstone’s Adolescent Residential and Academy Services programs, and as a Case Manager for several of Centerstone’s community mental health programs.
Daryl holds a Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies from Western Kentucky University, with an emphasis in Humanities. He is active in Nashville’s non-professional theater community, working with ACT 1 and other community theater companies on numerous productions. He is a recent survivor of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and is proud to be participating in the Music City Marathon in April 2010, where he is training with the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Journalism, Nelson worked in New York City for advertising agency J. Walter Thompson and Curtis Publishing Company. In Nashville, she has worked at the Nashville Scene newspaper and Prevent Blindness. At the present time, she is a freelance writer for Nfocus Magazine.
A life-long community volunteer, Sandy is a former board member of the Nashville chapter of the March of Dimes as well as The Friends of Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. For ten years, Sandy was a partner in a floral design business, and she currently serves on the board of the Horticultural Society of Middle Tennessee.
TLC has initiated a Task Force to assess suicide prevention/intervention needs and recommend legislative support for implementation of relevant programs, improving media reporting, expanding surveillance systems, and addressing lethal means issues. These individuals donate their time to serve on the Task Force:
To get involved with the Tennessee Lives Count project, contact TLC Project Primary Investigator Lygia Williams at (615) 253-5078 or lygia.williams@tn.gov.
*Source: 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control.
**Source: Tennessee Middle School Health Survey, 2001-02, courtesy of the Tennessee Department of Health.
Saving Lives in Tennessee... 
