Senate Bill No. 49–Committee on Human
Resources and Facilities

 

(On Behalf of the Legislative Committee to
Study Suicide Prevention)

 

Prefiled January 30, 2003

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

SUMMARY—Creates Statewide Program for Suicide Prevention within Department of Human Resources. (BDR 40‑288)

 

FISCAL NOTE:  Effect on Local Government: No.

                           Effect on the State: Yes.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

AN ACT relating to suicide prevention; creating a Statewide Program for Suicide Prevention within the office of the Director of the Department of Human Resources; creating positions within the Statewide Program for Suicide Prevention to coordinate the Statewide Program and to provide training and facilitate networking relating to suicide prevention in certain counties; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1  Section 1. Chapter 439 of NRS is hereby amended by adding

1-2  thereto the provisions set forth as sections 2 and 3 of this act.

1-3  Sec. 2.  1.  There is hereby created within the office of the

1-4  Director a Statewide Program for Suicide Prevention. The

1-5  Department shall implement the Statewide Program for Suicide

1-6  Prevention, which must, without limitation:

1-7  (a) Create public awareness for issues relating to suicide

1-8  prevention;

1-9  (b) Build community networks; and

2-1  (c) Carry out training programs for suicide prevention for law

2-2  enforcement personnel, providers of health care, school employees

2-3  and other persons who have contact with persons at risk of

2-4  suicide.

2-5  2.  The Director shall employ a Coordinator of the Statewide

2-6  Program for Suicide Prevention. The Coordinator:

2-7  (a) Must have at least the following education and experience:

2-8       (1) A bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology,

2-9  sociology, counseling or a closely related field, and 5 years or

2-10  more of work experience in behavioral health or a closely related

2-11  field; or

2-12          (2) A master’s degree or a doctoral degree in social work,

2-13  psychology, sociology, counseling, public health or a closely

2-14  related field, and 2 years or more of work experience in behavioral

2-15  health or a closely related field.

2-16      (b) Should have as many of the following characteristics as

2-17  possible:

2-18          (1) Significant professional experience in social services,

2-19  mental health or a closely related field;

2-20          (2) Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, methods of

2-21  facilitation, community development, behavioral health treatment

2-22  and prevention programs, and community-based behavioral health

2-23  problems;

2-24          (3) Experience in working with diverse community groups

2-25  and constituents; and

2-26          (4) Experience in writing grants and technical reports.

2-27      3.  The Coordinator shall:

2-28      (a) Provide educational activities to the general public relating

2-29  to suicide prevention;

2-30      (b) Provide training to persons who, as part of their usual

2-31  routine, have face-to-face contact with persons who may be at risk

2-32  of suicide, including, without limitation, training to recognize

2-33  persons at risk of suicide and providing information on how to

2-34  refer those persons for treatment or supporting services, as

2-35  appropriate;

2-36      (c) Develop and carry out public awareness and media

2-37  campaigns in each county targeting groups of persons who are at

2-38  risk of suicide;

2-39      (d) Enhance crisis services relating to suicide prevention;

2-40      (e) Link persons trained in the assessment of and intervention

2-41  in suicide with schools, public community centers, nursing homes

2-42  and other facilities serving persons most at risk of suicide;

2-43      (f) Coordinate the establishment of local advisory groups in

2-44  each county to support the efforts of the Statewide Program;

3-1  (g) Work with groups advocating suicide prevention,

3-2  community coalitions, managers of existing crisis hotlines that are

3-3  nationally accredited or certified, and staff members of mental

3-4  health agencies in this state to identify and address the barriers

3-5  that interfere with providing services to groups of persons who are

3-6  at risk of suicide, including, without limitation, elderly persons,

3-7  Native Americans, youths and residents of rural communities;

3-8  (h) Develop and maintain an Internet or network site with

3-9  links to appropriate resource documents, suicide hotlines that are

3-10  nationally accredited or certified, licensed professional personnel,

3-11  state and local mental health agencies and appropriate national

3-12  organizations;

3-13      (i) Review current research on data collection for factors

3-14  related to suicide and develop recommendations for improved

3-15  systems of surveillance and uniform collection of data;

3-16      (j) Develop and submit proposals for funding from agencies of

3-17  the Federal Government and nongovernmental organizations; and

3-18      (k) Oversee and provide technical assistance to the person

3-19  employed to act as a trainer for suicide prevention pursuant to

3-20  section 3 of this act.

3-21      4.  As used in this section:

3-22      (a) “Internet or network site” means any identifiable site on

3-23  the Internet or on a network and includes, without limitation:

3-24          (1) A website or other similar site on the World Wide Web;

3-25          (2) A site that is identifiable through a Uniform Resource

3-26  Locator; and

3-27          (3) A site on a network that is owned, operated,

3-28  administered or controlled by a provider of Internet service.

3-29      (b) “Systems of surveillance” means systems pursuant to

3-30  which the health conditions of the general public are regularly

3-31  monitored through systematic collection, evaluation and reporting

3-32  of measurable information to identify and understand trends

3-33  relating to suicide.

3-34      Sec. 3.  1.  The Coordinator of the Statewide Program for

3-35  Suicide Prevention shall employ a person to act as a trainer for

3-36  suicide prevention and facilitator for networking for Southern

3-37  Nevada.

3-38      2.  The trainer for suicide prevention:

3-39      (a) Must have at least the following education and experience:

3-40          (1) Three years or more of experience in providing

3-41  education and training relating to suicide prevention to diverse

3-42  community groups; or

3-43          (2) A bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree

3-44  in social work, public health, psychology, sociology, counseling or

4-1  a closely related field, and 2 years or more of experience in

4-2  providing education and training relating to suicide prevention.

4-3  (b) Should have as many of the following characteristics as

4-4  possible:

4-5       (1) Significant knowledge and experience relating to

4-6  suicide and suicide prevention;

4-7       (2) Knowledge of methods of facilitation, networking and

4-8  community-based suicide prevention programs;

4-9       (3) Experience in working with diverse community groups

4-10  and constituents; and

4-11          (4) Experience in providing suicide awareness information

4-12  and suicide prevention training.

4-13      3.  The trainer for suicide prevention must be based in a

4-14  county whose population is 400,000 or more.

4-15      4.  The trainer for suicide prevention shall:

4-16      (a) Assist the Coordinator of the Statewide Program for

4-17  Suicide Prevention in disseminating and carrying out the

4-18  Statewide Program in the county in which the trainer for suicide

4-19  prevention is based;

4-20      (b) Provide information and training relating to suicide

4-21  prevention to emergency medical personnel, providers of health

4-22  care, mental health agencies, social service agencies, churches,

4-23  public health clinics, school districts, law enforcement agencies

4-24  and other similar community organizations in the county in which

4-25  the trainer for suicide prevention is based;

4-26      (c) Assist the Coordinator of the Statewide Program for

4-27  Suicide Prevention in developing and carrying out public

4-28  awareness and media campaigns targeting groups of persons who

4-29  are at risk of suicide in the county in which the trainer for suicide

4-30  prevention is based;

4-31      (d) Assist in developing a network of community-based

4-32  programs for suicide prevention in the county in which the trainer

4-33  for suicide prevention is based, including, without limitation,

4-34  establishing one or more local advisory groups for suicide

4-35  prevention; and

4-36      (e) Facilitate the sharing of information and the building of

4-37  consensuses among multiple constituent groups in the county in

4-38  which the trainer for suicide prevention is based, including,

4-39  without limitation, public agencies, community organizations,

4-40  advocacy groups for suicide prevention, mental health providers

4-41  and representatives of the various groups that are at risk for

4-42  suicide.

4-43      Sec. 4.  The Coordinator of the Statewide Program for Suicide

4-44  Prevention created by section 2 of this act shall initiate the public

4-45  awareness and media campaigns for suicide prevention required

5-1  pursuant to that program in a county whose population is 400,000 or

5-2  more.

5-3  Sec. 5.  On or before January 3, 2005, the Director of the

5-4  Department of Human Resources shall submit a copy of the

5-5  Statewide Program for Suicide Prevention and a report concerning

5-6  the status of the Statewide Program for Suicide Prevention to the

5-7  Governor and to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for

5-8  transmittal to the Legislature.

5-9  Sec. 6.  This act becomes effective on July 1, 2003.

 

5-10  H