Suicide rates among young Kentuckians are rising and proposed legislation would strengthen trauma-informed care in schools and boost youth suicide prevention resources.

According to the latest state data, one in seven high school students reported having seriously considered suicide within a 12-month period.

Sheila Schuster, executive director of the Advocacy Action Network, and a licensed psychologist for the Kentucky Mental Health Coalition, said the bill would increase suicide prevention trainings for teachers and staff, and require training be done when students return from winter break.

"The data show that's a very stressful time when the kids have been off school, away from their peers," Schuster explained. "That's a time of increased anxiety, either about being away from school or having to go back to school."

The bill has received scrutiny for its proposal to allow schools to establish so-called "guardians" programs, made up of honorably discharged military veterans and retired or former law enforcement officers to address a statewide shortage of School Resource Officers.

Joe Bargione, a licensed psychologist and consultant, noted trauma-informed care is important because it helps students feel connected to their school and more likely to reach out to a trusted adult if they're struggling. He said Senate Bill 2 would require districts' trauma-informed teams -- which typically include school nurses, counselors and social workers -- to submit their plans to the state for review each year.

"The reason why I think that's important is because right now, we don't have a way of collecting all those trauma-informed plans and analyzing, you know, what's working in our districts," Bargione pointed out.

Ben Chandler, CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and chair of the Kentucky Coalition for Healthy Children noted the data around young Kentuckians' mental health -- in particular, suicide attempts -- is alarming.

"One in 10 have reported attempted suicide," Chandler stressed. "The rates of kids who have either thought about or planning suicide more than doubled among sixth graders, between 2014 and 2021."

He added the coalition's member groups continue to work with schools to address the mental health crisis and improve resiliency among students.

"Uplift Wisconsin" is just one of the latest casualties from a $210 million cut in federal health funds to the state.

The "warmline" operates seven days a week for 10 hours a day and provides peer-led support through certified professionals with lived experiences.

Martina Gollin Graves, president and CEO of Mental Health America of Wisconsin, which runs the program, said people are able to talk to peers who could empathize with them in a way a therapist or family member might not be able to.

"There is lots of testimony from the callers who actually utilize the warmline," Graves explained. "Talking about if they hadn't called our warmline they wouldn't have reached out for support to anyone else."

She pointed out some people called daily and added the program had been crucial in preventing costly emergency room visits and reducing suicide rates across the state. Last year, more than 24,000 people called into the warmline.

The program was initially funded three years ago through pandemic grants the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently axed in an effort to curb what it called taxpayer waste on a crisis it said is over.

Graves countered in these uncertain times, the service has never been more needed.

"It couldn't have come at a worse time when we are seeing increased rates of anxiety and depression," Graves argued. "People are struggling, kids and adolescents are struggling in school settings as well as adults in their workplaces."

The program's annual funds were set to expire in September but the last six months of funding were abruptly canceled due to federal cuts. Graves noted they will have to furlough 20 people in the next week.

"These cuts are impacting real people," Graves emphasized. "I'm really worried about the fallout and what that's going to look like in your community and my community in the upcoming days and weeks."

Continued funding for the program was earmarked in the recent state budget proposal but the funds are not a sure thing and would not be available until the fall. To bridge the gap, Graves added they have launched a campaign to try and save the warmline, but for now, it will stop service on Saturday.


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Tennessee advocates are gathering at the state Capitol Wednesday to urge lawmakers to prioritize mental health funding and policies to strengthen families, communities and youth.

According to state records, 937,000 adults in the state have a mental health condition.

Katrina Gay, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Tennessee, said her grassroots group is backing Gov. Bill Lee's budget with more investments in mental health and advocating for PTSD treatment for first responders. She explained the legislation they are opposing.

"We're also going to advocate to make sure that only qualified medical professionals have prescribing privileges for people with mental health conditions," Gay explained. "There's a bill in the House and Senate that would grant medication prescriptive authority to psychologists, and we are strongly opposed to that."

Gay added over the years, they have pushed for key legislation, starting with Tennessee's first mental health parity bill in the late '90s, and continue advocating for funding for services and support of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and more.

One in six Tennesseans aged 6 through 17 experiences a mental health disorder each year. Gay noted they advocate year-round with community engagement, which includes the Young Adult Advisory Group and NAMI on Campus clubs, webinars for college students who are emerging advocates. She added an in-person training session for advocates is Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Cordell Hull Building.

"We have more than 50 leaders coming from across the state in person to meet with members of the General Assembly that are in the districts in which they live," Gay pointed out. "They can educate lawmakers, reinforce their experiences and forge stronger relationships."

Gay stressed there is plenty of legislation on mass violence, and while her group is not addressing specific bills, they urged lawmakers to consider the effect on youth, especially those with disabilities. This summer, they will promote approaches supporting positive youth-adult relationships, better educator training and student empowerment to create safer schools without fear or trauma.


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As Mississippi grapples with a growing mental health crisis, state and local leaders are being urged to prioritize diversion programs and crisis care systems to prevent the unnecessary incarceration of people with mental illness.

It is estimated 2 million people with serious mental illness are booked into jails across the U.S. each year.

Shannon Scully, director of justice policy and initiatives for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said in Mississippi, where mental health resources are often scarce and the incarceration rate is among the highest in the nation, it means more than 19,000 people in state custody.

"The criminal justice system disproportionately impacts people with mental illness," Scully explained. "They are overrepresented in those spaces, and that's mostly because historically, our communities have underfunded and under-resourced behavioral health."

The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports 44% of people in jails and 43% in state and federal prisons have a mental illness. The Magnolia State has made some progress in recent years, leveraging federal funding to expand mental health services. However, advocates warned proposed budget cuts could jeopardize the gains.

Mississippi's prison system has long been under scrutiny for overcrowding and poor conditions, and a lack of mental health services exacerbates the problem. Scully pointed to "nuisance laws" criminalizing behaviors associated with untreated mental illness, such as public disturbances or sleeping in public, as key drivers of incarceration.

"Instead of implementing policies that may connect these folks to crisis services or to supportive housing, they are charged with a crime or they are ticketed," Scully emphasized. "They become involved with the criminal justice system."

As March marks Criminal Justice Awareness Month, she urged Mississippians to learn more about how mental health intersects with the justice system and to push for reforms. Scully promotes the importance of community engagement, pointing to resources like reimaginecrisis.org, where people can track legislation and advocacy efforts for mental health diversion and crisis care in their state.