To teach adolescents, parents and educators about the warning signs and risk factors associated with suicide, Indianapolis-based Community Health Network has launched a new website, www.HaveHope.com.
Roughly 20 percent of Indiana's youth contemplate suicide, and the state has the nation's second highest rate of attempted suicide by high school-aged students. Additionally, the number of people in Indiana who die by suicide is more than twice as many as those who die by homicide.
As Indiana's most comprehensive provider of youth behavioral health services, CHN announced its commitment to reducing suicide last year. The system's new website has tools to combat the ever-rising suicide rate.
"Suicide is a leading cause of death among children and teens in Indiana, and it is imperative that our community have resources like the Have Hope website to combat the issue," said Suzanne Clifford, senior vice president of integrated primary care at CHN. "This tool will play a powerful role in starting much-needed conversations about suicide prevention in homes and schools across Indiana. Whether a friend, parent or teacher, you can help make a difference in preventing suicide and the heartbreak that comes with it."
CHN's new online resource was funded in part by The Glick Fund and HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
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