2006
Sept, 2006 - "University of South Florida",
CFS Experts Support Florida’s Efforts to Prevent Suicide">
For the families and friends left behind, a central question remains – What could have been done to prevent such a tragic ending? Of course there are no easy answers, but perhaps if more help had been available, if less stigma was related to mental illness, if someone had recognized the warning signs because they knew the warning signs, these individuals would still be alive leading productive lives.

Sept 18, 2006 - "The Gainesville Sun", Gainsville, FL
Mother struggles with son's '03 suicide
Judy Bousquet didn't know it, but her son was slowly dying inside. Bousquet thought it was a little odd at the time when her 27-year-old son, an Atlanta-area police officer, became more distant. He worked the night shift and didn't get much sleep. But she didn't think much of it. When she answered the phone one April day in 2003, however, Bousquet received news that would change her life forever.

Sept 12 , 2006 - "TBO", Tampa Bay, FL
Community Project Focuses On Suicide Prevention
During 2004, Florida had 2,382 confirmed deaths by suicide. That's equivalent to an entire student body from a Tampa Bay area high school. It is staggering to realize that this number of individuals chose such a tragic ending to their lives.

July 13 , 2006 - "Tampa Bay Newspapers", Tampa Bay, FL
Suicide survivors share memories
MADEIRA BEACH – With a nearly full moon behind them and the sun setting on the horizon, a group of survivors of suicide – those who lost loved ones to suicide – gathered on the beach for a candlelight Evening of Remembrance July 9.

June 29 , 2006 - "Pensacola News Journal", Pensacola, FL
Three involved in suicide prevention project
Tears well up in Raela Villanueva's eyes. Even nine years after her 22-year-old brother took his own life, she still can't talk about it without crying. "I'm sorry," she said, dabbing at her eyes. "Sometimes I can get through OK without crying." Her younger brother, Junior, was a college student suffering from depression when he committed suicide. For the third time on July 23, the 33-year-old Pensacola woman plans to walk in his memory to raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

June 29, 2006 - "Orlando Sentinel", Orlando, FL
Sentinel Fund bolsters agencies
The Orlando Sentinel Family Fund awarded more than $1 million to Central Florida nonprofit groups on Wednesday. The money is a portion of $1.8 million that the fund, part of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, has granted this year. Lifeline of Central Florida, a 24-hour crisis hotline in Orlando, received $35,000 for its Senior Suicide Prevention program.

June 22, 2006 - "The News Press", Fort Myers, FL
Anti-bullying effort heads to Washington
A Cape Coral teacher whose son committed suicide last year is taking her effort to protect other children to Capitol Hill. Debbie Johnston hopes to raise enough money to take 50 students to Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress for a federal law to help prevent suicide among schoolchildren and young adults.

May 23, 2006 - "The Florida-Times Union", Jacosonville, FL
SUICIDE: The last taboo
It takes about twice the number of lives every year in Duval County than murder, yet the community has difficulty addressing the issue. It's suicide:
It's the third-leading cause of death for teens and young adults after accidents and murder.
It's the second-leading cause of death for people ages 25 to 34.
Some of the highest rates affect white men over 85.
The suicide rate has increased in Florida from 11.7 per 100,000 in 1994 to 13.7 per 100,000 in 2004.
There were 2,376 suicides in Florida in 2004, 46 suicide deaths per week. Overall, suicide takes 50 percent more lives each year than homicide, reports a staff analysis of a bill to establish an Office of Suicide Prevention in the governor's office.
Despite strong support from Gov. Jeb Bush in recent years, the bill has not cleared the Legislature.

May 1, 2006 - "The Miami Herald", Miami, FL
Suicide-prevention office set to be discussed in House
TALLAHASSEE - State lawmakers are expected to vote today on a bill to create and pay for a Florida Office for Suicide Prevention. The House bill, sponsored by Rep. Hugh Gibson, a Lady Lake Republican, would set up the prevention effort within the governor's Office of Drug Control. Gov. Jeb Bush supports the legislation, saying during a Suicide Prevention Day in March that he hopes Florida can reduce its annual suicide rate by a third by 2011.Gibson's bill passed unanimously through various committees and is up for a floor vote when the House convenes at 11:30 a.m.

Apr 29, 2006 - "The Florida-Times Union", Jacosonville, FL
SUICIDE: A problem with a human face
Thanks to the Times-Union for its recent coverage of suicide in our communities. The Times-Union has done an excellent job of covering suicide - a tragic but oftentimes preventable public health problem. My daughter was one of the six people who, on average, take their own life each day in Florida. In 2004, someone took his life every four hours in Florida. That is six people a day, 42 people a week, and nearly 200 a month. This truly is a problem with a human face, perhaps someone you know - a neighbor, friend, co-worker or loved one.

Apr 24, 2006 - "The News-Press", Cape Coral, FL
Every turtle's a winner in benefit race
t will be a mad dash to the finish line as an expected 10,000-plus rubber turtles race around the Mainstream River at Cape Coral's Sun Splash Family Waterpark, with the winner being rewarded $3,000 and a shot at a brand-new home. It is the fourth year Lee Mental Health Center Inc. has sponsored the Southwest Florida Tropical Turtle Race. "Our goal is to raise $40,000," said Jan Eustis, executive director.

Apr 10, 2006 - "The Florida-Times Union", Jacosonville, FL
SUICIDE: Support prevention
Part 3 of a 3 part series
For the past two days, the Times-Union Editorial Page has tried to shed light on a deadly problem that has been plaguing Jacksonville. Suicide. It is an issue that is ignored. The subject still is stigmatized as much as any issue today. There is little attention given in the public arena. It's time for the ignorance to stop. Two bills in the Legislature seek to establish a Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention.

Apr 09, 2006 - "The Florida-Times Union", Jacosonville, FL
SUICIDE: Prevention is key
Part 2 of a 3 part series
All that's left of yesterday for thousands of families around Florida is a picture of a smiling face. All those faces. A 40-something male going fishing. A daughter in a prom dress. A son in full Marine dress. A grandpa sitting behind his work desk. All of them had bright futures, their families say. Now they are gone. All lost to suicide. Those faces now sit prominently above mantels, on nightstands and in car visors. Mere memories.

Apr 08, 2006 - "The Florida-Times Union", Jacosonville, FL
SUICIDE: Ignorance at fault
Part 1 of a 3 part series
Suicide is a preventable life and death issue in Jacksonville. We don't care. Children in Jacksonville, aged 10 to 24 are killing themselves at a rate that outpaces the state and the nation, according to the Jacksonville Children's Commission. We don't care. There are more suicides a year in Jacksonville than there are homicides. We just don't care. Jacksonville Community Council Inc. brought the issue of mental illness and youth to the forefront in the summer of 1986, prior to Jacksonville's suicide crisis.

Mar 23, 2006 - "The Florida-Times Union", Jacosonville, FL
Bush declares goal to cut state's suicide rates
The governor endorses bills to fund a statewide prevention effort. A collaborative effort to zero in on Florida's suicide rates was announced Tuesday in Tallahassee, taking aim at a tragic trend in which Duval County is a state leader. Gov. Jeb Bush announced he is supporting legislation to fund a $100,000 statewide suicide prevention effort within his office, endorsing pending bills by Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, and Rep. Hugh Gibson, R-Lady Lake.

Jan 29, 2006 - "The News-Press", Fort Myers, FL
Lee wants legislators to heed calls for help
Fort Myers resident Shawn McKelvie was baffled when she couldn't find a suicide prevention hot line number in the Sprint phone book. And that's despite Lee County being ranked 10th in the state for highest suicide rates. She looked with the various emergency numbers, under S for suicide and even under crisis situations, but it was not there.

Jan 01, 2006 - "The Florida-Times Union", Jacosonville, FL
SUICIDE: Plague claims six Floridians a day
Suicide impacts individuals and families throughout our state. It is a silent epidemic claiming the lives of six Floridians every day.
Recently, the silence was shattered when we learned that coach Tony Dungy had lost his 18-year-old son, James, to suicide. My heart goes out to Dungy, his family and friends.
I know too well what they are experiencing and will experience in the coming years. They will go through months of shock and then more months and years of grief. They will question why and wonder what they could have, should have, would have done, if only they had known.
James Dungy's death is not an isolated tragedy. It is a frequent occurrence. Suicide is a leading cause of death for people of all ages, from their teens into old age. It is the third leading cause of death for young people between 15- and 24 years old. The grim reality is that suicide does not discriminate; it affects all of us.
More than twice as many people in Florida die by suicide than by homicide. The First Coast is not immune. Last year, St. Johns County had 23 suicides and two homicides; Clay County reported 21 suicides and nine homicides, with Nassau County losing 10 people to suicide and two to homicide.
In Duval County, which has a much higher homicide rate, there were 114 homicides and 113 suicides.
Experts agree that suicides are among the most preventable of all causes of death. Gov. Jeb Bush has publicly supported this issue and has provided the leadership to move toward reducing the incidence of suicide in Florida.
The Florida Suicide Prevention Strategy offers a comprehensive framework for what needs to be done to reduce the incidence of suicide in our state by one-third by the end of 2010.
For the third year in a row, legislation has been introduced that would create a statewide Office for Suicide Prevention in the Executive Office the Governor and an interagency work group to coordinate state agency plans for suicide prevention.
If passed, HB 527 and SB 1008 would take an important step in the fight to reduce the incidence of suicide in our state.
You can help. Call your representatives and senators and ask them to co-sponsor these bills. I thank Reps. Don Davis and Mark Mahon and Sen. Jim King for previously co-sponsoring the bills.
I hope all the members of the Duval Legislative Delegation will follow their lead.
The passage of these bills will have a lasting impact in Florida. They will help bring suicide to the forefront as a public health problem.
They will direct energy and resources to the issue, which, over time, will save thousands of lives that would otherwise be taken by their own hands.
PAM HARRINGTON, founder, The Beth Foundation, Ponte Vedra Beach