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NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Health has announced that it has received $750,000 for suicide prevention efforts over the next five years.
Tennessee’s health agency is one of nine organizations to receive funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a Monday news release. The money will be used to expand existing efforts and implement new activities, with a focus on preventing suicide among vulnerable populations.
“Suicide can impact anyone and any family, regardless of status, position or location, and the impact of these tragic deaths is magnified because they are preventable,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey in a statement.
More than 1,200 people died by suicide in 2019 in Tennessee, including 32 children under the age of 17, according to the health department. Over the past six years, Tennessee’s suicide rate has increased by 24%.