State Plans: State funded $300k over two years to develop a state plan. The plan is now finished (2001 House Document no. 29).  The Virginia Department of Health is taking on the lead responsibility of coordinating all youth suicide prevention efforts.

The plan is primarily directed toward youth suicide prevention.

Contact Person(s):

James B. Vetter
Youth Violence Prevention Consultant
Center for Injury and Violence Prevention
Virginia Department of Health
P.O. Box 2448
1500 E. Main St., Room 105
Richmond, VA 23218-2448
(804) 786-2611
FAX (804) 786-0917

jvetter@vdh.state.va.us

www.vahealth.org/civp

Karen Marshall

National Hopeline Network 1-800-suicide

Loudoun Suicide Prevention Coalition

609 E. Main Street #112

Purcellville, Virginia 20132

540-338-5756
Karenmarshall.home@erols.com

karen@HOPELINE.com

Judith Cash
Virginia Commission on Youth
Acting Executive Director
Youth Suicide Prevention Plan

Summary of what Virginia is doing:

In 2000, the Virginia General Assembly split $150,000 between VDH and the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse. VDH has used its $75,000 to provide grants for crisis centers to expand their community outreach and suicide awareness training, and to launch gatekeeper training programs across the state. Virginia will use both LivingWorks and QPR, depending on the audience, and will have dozens of trainers in both programs available. Mh/MR is developing its program. We are supposed to have another $150,000 for next year, also to be divided by the two agencies.

Over the summer, we developed a Youth Suicide Prevention Plan under the oversight of the Virginia Commission on Youth and acting Executive Director Judith Cash. That plan goes to the Commission for the first time this month, and should be finalized in November for presentation to the General Assembly in January. Our preliminary budget to implement the youth plan is $500,000, and we will be lobbying hard for the full amount. Under that plan, VDH will be the lead agency for suicide prevention.

Links to applicable web pages:

http://www.vahealth.org/civp/dsprevent.htm