Tennessee Lives Count: Statewide Gatekeeper Training for Youth Suicide Prevention

Youth suicide remains a significant public health problem in the United States. In 2004, the Garrett LeeSmith Memorial Act provided states and tribes with funding to implement and evaluate youth suicideprevention programs. The Tennessee Lives Count project was developed through a collaborative modelat the state level and delivers an enhanced version of the Question, Persuade, Refer gatekeeper trainingprogram to individuals working with youth across the state. This article describes the development of theproject and preliminary outcomes of 416 participants in child welfare, juvenile justice, health, andeducation systems at pretest, posttest, and 6-month follow-up. The findings suggest the training has animmediate and long-term impact on perceived knowledge of suicide prevention, self-efficacy, andattitudes about the inevitability of suicide. Policy and practice implications are presented.Keywords: suicide prevention, gatekeeper training, child welfare, juvenile justice, public health nursing, educationEditor’s Note. This is one of eight accepted articles received in responseto an open call for submissions on interventions for suicidal people acrossthe life span.—MCRD