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

 

CHAPTER..........

 

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:

 

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

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

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

Director a Statewide Program for Suicide Prevention. The

Department shall implement the Statewide Program for Suicide

Prevention, which must, without limitation:

    (a) Create public awareness for issues relating to suicide

prevention;

    (b) Build community networks; and

    (c) Carry out training programs for suicide prevention for law

enforcement personnel, providers of health care, school employees

and other persons who have contact with persons at risk of

suicide.

    2.  The Director shall employ a Coordinator of the Statewide

Program for Suicide Prevention. The Coordinator:

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

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

sociology, counseling or a closely related field, and 5 years or

more of work experience in behavioral health or a closely related

field; or

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

psychology, sociology, counseling, public health or a closely

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

health or a closely related field.

    (b) Should have as many of the following characteristics as

possible:

        (1) Significant professional experience in social services,

mental health or a closely related field;

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

facilitation, community development, behavioral health treatment

and prevention programs, and community-based behavioral health

problems;

        (3) Experience in working with diverse community groups

and constituents; and

        (4) Experience in writing grants and technical reports.

    3.  The Coordinator shall:

    (a) Provide educational activities to the general public relating

to suicide prevention;

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

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

of suicide, including, without limitation, training to recognize

persons at risk of suicide and providing information on how to

refer those persons for treatment or supporting services, as

appropriate;

    (c) Develop and carry out public awareness and media

campaigns in each county targeting groups of persons who are at

risk of suicide;

    (d) Enhance crisis services relating to suicide prevention;

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

in suicide with schools, public community centers, nursing homes

and other facilities serving persons most at risk of suicide;

    (f) Coordinate the establishment of local advisory groups in

each county to support the efforts of the Statewide Program;

    (g) Work with groups advocating suicide prevention,

community coalitions, managers of existing crisis hotlines that are

nationally accredited or certified, and staff members of mental

health agencies in this state to identify and address the barriers

that interfere with providing services to groups of persons who are

at risk of suicide, including, without limitation, elderly persons,

Native Americans, youths and residents of rural communities;

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

links to appropriate resource documents, suicide hotlines that are

nationally accredited or certified, licensed professional personnel,

state and local mental health agencies and appropriate national

organizations;

    (i) Review current research on data collection for factors

related to suicide and develop recommendations for improved

systems of surveillance and uniform collection of data;

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

the Federal Government and nongovernmental organizations; and

    (k) Oversee and provide technical assistance to the person

employed to act as a trainer for suicide prevention pursuant to

section 3 of this act.

    4.  As used in this section:

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

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

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

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

Locator; and

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

administered or controlled by a provider of Internet service.

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

which the health conditions of the general public are regularly

monitored through systematic collection, evaluation and reporting

of measurable information to identify and understand trends

relating to suicide.

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

Suicide Prevention shall employ a person to act as a trainer for

suicide prevention and facilitator for networking for Southern

Nevada.

    2.  The trainer for suicide prevention:

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

        (1) Three years or more of experience in providing

education and training relating to suicide prevention to diverse

community groups; or

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

in social work, public health, psychology, sociology, counseling or

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

providing education and training relating to suicide prevention.

    (b) Should have as many of the following characteristics as

possible:

        (1) Significant knowledge and experience relating to

suicide and suicide prevention;

        (2) Knowledge of methods of facilitation, networking and

community-based suicide prevention programs;

        (3) Experience in working with diverse community groups

and constituents; and

        (4) Experience in providing suicide awareness information

and suicide prevention training.

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

county whose population is 400,000 or more.

    4.  The trainer for suicide prevention shall:

    (a) Assist the Coordinator of the Statewide Program for

Suicide Prevention in disseminating and carrying out the

Statewide Program in the county in which the trainer for suicide

prevention is based;

    (b) Provide information and training relating to suicide

prevention to emergency medical personnel, providers of health

care, mental health agencies, social service agencies, churches,

public health clinics, school districts, law enforcement agencies

and other similar community organizations in the county in which

the trainer for suicide prevention is based;

    (c) Assist the Coordinator of the Statewide Program for

Suicide Prevention in developing and carrying out public

awareness and media campaigns targeting groups of persons who

are at risk of suicide in the county in which the trainer for suicide

prevention is based;

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

programs for suicide prevention in the county in which the trainer

for suicide prevention is based, including, without limitation,

establishing one or more local advisory groups for suicide

prevention; and

    (e) Facilitate the sharing of information and the building of

consensuses among multiple constituent groups in the county in

which the trainer for suicide prevention is based, including,

without limitation, public agencies, community organizations,

advocacy groups for suicide prevention, mental health providers

and representatives of the various groups that are at risk for

suicide.

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

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

awareness and media campaigns for suicide prevention required

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

more.

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

Department of Human Resources shall submit a copy of the

Statewide Program for Suicide Prevention and a report concerning

the status of the Statewide Program for Suicide Prevention to the

Governor and to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for

transmittal to the Legislature.

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

 

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