Friday, September 23, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Nevada gets grant for suicide prevention efforts
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARSON CITY -- The federal government has announced an annual $400,000 grant for three years to help Nevada deal with its high youth suicide rate.
Theresa Anderson, deputy administrator of the state Division of Child and Family Services, said part of the grant will be used to start a pilot program to screen ninth graders in 20 high schools in Clark County.
Anderson said Wednesday that students with health and substance abuse problems will be targeted. Seventy-eight percent of Nevada's youth suicides occur in Clark County.
The national suicide rate in the 15-to-24 age category is 12.3 per 100,000 population. In Nevada it is 19.1 per 100,000.
The state applied to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for the money.
The 2003 Legislature approved a suicide prevention program in the state Department of Health and Human Services, but the recommended money for the program never materialized.
The 2005 Legislature approved Gov. Kenny Guinn's suggestion to create two positions, including a statewide suicide prevention coordinator and a suicide prevention trainer. Neither has been hired yet. There is $152,004 allocated this fiscal year and $192,815 next fiscal year for the effort to reduce suicides.
