March 23, 2004

Contact:
Barbra A. Gonzalez, Associate Director
954-262-5354
Mara Kiffin, Assistant Director
(954) 262-5350
Elizabeth Ninomiya, Coordinator
(954) 262-5309

NSU Supports ‘Suicide Prevention Day' In Florida
Governor, Legislature Focus On Suicide Prevention As NSU Researchers Publish Guide For Schools

FORT LAUDERDALE , FL - The Health Professions Division of Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is pleased to support Governor Jeb Bush and Mrs. Bush's proclamation of “Suicide Prevention Day” on March 23, 2004 . Two bills, Senate Bill 2042 and House Bill 897, have been introduced into current the Florida legislative session to create and support a statewide office for Suicide Prevention which will help decrease the incidence of suicide in the Sunshine State.

NSU's Institute for Child Health Policy Youth Suicide Prevention Prototype Program, funded by the Governor's Office of Drug Control - Drug Free Community Program, has created a comprehensive Youth Suicide Prevention School-based Guide . The planning guide is a tool designed to provide accurate, user-friendly information. It is not a program, but rather provides a framework for schools to assess their existing or proposed suicide prevention efforts, and resources and information that school administrators can use to enhance their existing programs.

“Youth Suicide – as stark as the words sound, this phenomenon reflects a silent epidemic too frequently ignored except by those who have been devastated by it. Youth Suicide is a critical but under-reported and under-treated public health crisis,” said Dr. Deborah Mulligan-Smith , Director of Institute for Child Health Policy at NSU and President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Florida Chapter). “Working together with the Florida Mental Health Institute at University of South Florida , we have created a guide that can help schools detect certain risk factors and hopefully prevent suicides from occurring in our youth.”

Using the guide, a school completes a series of checklists to help evaluate the adequacy of its suicide prevention programs, and then it can review a series of issue briefs corresponding to each checklist. Every brief offers a rationale for the importance of certain topics and proven strategies that help reduce the incidence of suicide, as well as references that schools may explore in greater detail.

“The suicide rate in the State of Florida is high compared to that of other states. We hope ‘Suicide Prevention Day,' the legislation that has been introduced in the House and Senate, and this new guide for schools help attract people's attention to the importance of this issue and the profound impact it has on our state,” continued Dr. Mulligan-Smith.

To download a copy of the guide go to http://cfs.fmhi.usf.edu/StateandLocal/suicide_prevention