TSPN July 2018 E-Newsletter

July 2018

Items Highlighted in the Issue:

Recognition of TSPN Nationally
Tennessee License Plate: Reserve Yours Today!
TSPN Press Releases Following Celebrity Deaths by Suicide
Advisory Council Retreat: Gubernatorial Candidates and More
Get to Know Your Leaders Across the State:
Advisory Council: Eve Night
Emeritus Member: Renee Brown, LCSW, BCD, CFAE
Our New Middle TN Regional Director: Mani Hull, Ed.D.

Recognition of TSPN Nationally

TSPN received National recognition, at the National Mental Health America Conference, receiving the Innovator of the Year Award . This award praised TSPN as a National model for suicide prevention networks, as they cover all 95 counties in Tennessee. The Commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Marie Williams, MSW, was also recognized at the event, receiving The George Goodman and Ruth P. Brudney Social Work Award.

Tennessee License Plate for Suicide Prevention:

Reserve Yours Today!

The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN), in coordination with the Jason Foundation, AFSP, and other advocacy groups, is officially reserving orders for the official specialty license plate promoting suicide prevention authorized by state legislation. In order to get this license plate for any, TSPN must collect 1,000 order reservations; without these 1,000 there will not be a license plate for Tennessee, so help us spread the word ! We have already reserved over 150, lets keep it going!! The State requires that we have the 1,000 reserved by June 2019, but it is our hope to have met this goal by the end of September to begin production and distribution.

The final design for the plate is pictured above. This license plate will be the first one in the country devoted to the cause of suicide prevention. A share of the proceeds from the sale of these plates will fund TSPN suicide prevention efforts in Tennessee. As soon as 1,000 plates are reserved, production of these license plates can begin. So, go ahead and pre-order a plate today to ensure the viability of this project. These license plates will lead to unprecedented exposure for the cause of suicide prevention in Tennessee and the agencies working to prevent suicide in our state.

Press Releases Following Celebrity Deaths by Suicide

TSPN, like many across the Nation, were struck by the losses of two celebrities to suicide, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. To this, we released numerous press releases in June. To read them, and find more about best practices for the media when covering a death by suicide, visit our website here: http://tspn.org/for-the-media

Advisory Council Retreat:

Gubernatorial Candidates and More

TSPN held its Advisory Council Retreat, June 6-7, at Montgomery Bell State Park and Inn. The days were filled with great progress and out of the box thinking for the movement ahead for TSPN across Tennessee.

For the retreat, all Gubernatorial Candidates were invited to participate in a question and answer session, to address concerns of the Advisory Council and how they would, as Governor, work towards suicide prevention for Tennessee. Look for the written responses of candidates who participated, via email, in the coming days!

Get to Know Your Leaders Across the State!

TSPN would like to thank those that make suicide prevention possible in Tennessee. We are going to begin this with Advisory Council, Emeritus Member, and Staff highlights. Nothing we do at TSPN is possible without the dedication of these individuals and their continued time and commitment to TSPN and suicide prevention, and for that we must thank you!