The following reviews suicide prevention recommendations put forward in the Tennessee Department of Health's most recent annual report.

Want to integrate these recommendations into your organization's policies, but need support? Contact your TSPN Regional Director or TSPN headquarters for consultation: TSPN Staff

State and Community Agencies

• Increase access to adequate mental health care for all Tennesseans.
• Spread awareness of suicide and encourage help-seeking behavior.
• Support the widespread use of standardized behavioral health assessment protocols and tools.
• Strengthen the crisis response infrastructure within Tennessee.
• Support suicide prevention programs and trainings promoting connectedness and resiliency.
• Disseminate data to assist agencies and organizations implement evidence-based suicide prevention programs.

Clinics and Hospital Systems

• Maintain “suicide safe” facilities.
• Provide information and counseling on access to lethal means for suicide risk assessment protocols.
• Continue to report into the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-Based Epidemics (ESSENCE) database.

Healthcare Providers

• Disseminate educational materials to patients on the signs of suicide, including how to reach out for help if they or someone they know is in
• crisis.
• Encourage primary care and pediatric providers to utilize screening tools such as the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale to screen all patients for risk of suicide and refer those at risk to mental health services.

Public Safety and Emergency Response Agencies

• Expand crisis intervention training and implement a standardized crisis response protocol across the entire state.
• Promote partnerships between behavioral healthcare facilities, local law agencies to expand the Crisis Assessment and Response to Emergencies Program.
• Create safe, protective, and supportive work environments for all employees within law enforcement agencies, fire departments and EMS.

Educational Institutions

• Provide training opportunities for mental health and suicide prevention to students, teachers, school support staff, and other adults that interact with children and youth.
• Implement peer-to-peer programs such as Sources of Strength and Hope Squads in middle and high schools.
• Incorporate a protocol for responding to ESSENCE alerts into the school suicide prevention response plan.

Individuals, Families, and Friends

• Raise awareness of the risk factors for suicide, how to reach out for help, and appropriately refer a person at-risk for suicide to crisis lifelines.
• Provide opportunities to complete suicide prevention gatekeeper trainings.
• Reduce access to lethal means within the home by safely storing firearms and prescription medications. 

Support the Tennessee Department of Health learn more about suicide prevention efforts across the state by participating in their surveys!

The information collected in these brief surveys allows for a better understanding of the current landscape of suicide prevention and mental health services, and identifies opportunities for increased support and collaboration across the state. Your feedback will help to directly inform and improve program strategies to reach at-risk community members more effectively. See below for two ways to provide input. Please click purple text below to participate in each survey, respectively.

2023 Suicide Prevention Needs Assessment

• Takes approximately 15 minutes to complete
• Anonymous
• Includes page numbers to track progress



2023 Partnership Interviews

• 15 - 20 minute interview                       
• Conducted via phone by a research associate