Senate Bill sb0210
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 210
By Senator Lynn
7-233-05
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to suicide prevention; creating
3 s. 397.3335, F.S.; creating the Statewide
4 Office for Suicide Prevention in the Office of
5 Drug Control; providing the goals and
6 objectives of the office; creating the position
7 of statewide coordinator for the statewide
8 office; specifying the education and experience
9 requirements for the position of coordinator;
10 detailing the duties and responsibilities of
11 the coordinator; creating s. 397.3336, F.S.;
12 creating the Suicide Prevention Coordinating
13 Council within the Office of Drug Control;
14 providing the scope of activities for the
15 coordinating council; creating an interagency
16 workgroup for state agencies within the
17 coordinating council in order to coordinate
18 state agency plans for suicide prevention;
19 authorizing the coordinating council to
20 assemble an ad hoc committee to advise the
21 coordinating council; providing for membership
22 on the coordinating council; authorizing the
23 coordinating council to seek and accept grants
24 or funds from any source to support its
25 operation; providing an effective date.
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27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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29 Section 1. Section 397.3335, Florida Statutes, is
30 created to read:
31 397.3335 Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention.--
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1 (1)(a) The Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention is
2 created in the Office of Drug Control within the Executive
3 Office of the Governor.
4 (b) The statewide office shall develop a network of
5 community-based programs to improve suicide prevention
6 initiatives. The network shall identify and work to eliminate
7 barriers that impede providing suicide prevention services to
8 individuals who are at risk of suicide.
9 (c) The network of community-based programs shall
10 consist of stakeholders advocating suicide prevention,
11 including, but not limited to, not-for-profit suicide
12 prevention organizations, faith-based suicide prevention
13 organizations, law enforcement agencies, first responders to
14 emergency calls, suicide prevention community coalitions,
15 schools and universities, mental health agencies, health care
16 providers, and school personnel.
17 (2) The statewide office shall, within available
18 resources:
19 (a) Implement the statewide plan prepared by the
20 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council;
21 (b) Build a network of community-based programs to
22 integrate suicide prevention initiatives into the programs'
23 activities;
24 (c) Increase public awareness concerning topics
25 relating to suicide prevention;
26 (d) Coordinate education and training curricula in
27 suicide prevention efforts for law enforcement personnel,
28 first responders to emergency calls, health care providers,
29 school employees, and other persons who may have contact with
30 persons at risk of suicide; and
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 210
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1 (e) Direct an interagency workgroup within the Suicide
2 Prevention Coordinating Council to prepare a suicide
3 prevention communication plan among state agencies. The
4 communication plan must be incorporated into the council's
5 statewide plan.
6 (3) The director of the Office of Drug Control shall
7 employ a coordinator for the Statewide Office for Suicide
8 Prevention. Unless waived by the director of the Office of
9 Drug Control, the coordinator must:
10 (a) Have the following education and employment
11 experience:
12 1. A bachelor's degree in social work, psychology,
13 sociology, counseling, public health, or a closely related
14 field and 5 or more years of work experience in behavioral
15 health care or a closely related field; or
16 2. A master's or a doctoral degree in social work,
17 psychology, sociology, counseling, public health, or a closely
18 related field and 2 or more years of work experience in
19 behavioral health or a closely related field.
20 (b) Possess the following skills:
21 1. Significant professional experience in social
22 services, mental health, or a closely related field;
23 2. Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, methods
24 of facilitation, community development, behavioral health
25 treatment and prevention programs, and community-based
26 behavioral health problems;
27 3. Experience in working with community groups and
28 constituents that are diverse and representative of the
29 gender, ethnic, and racial populations in this state; and
30 4. Experience in writing grant proposals and technical
31 reports.
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1 (4) The coordinator shall work under the direction of
2 the director to achieve the goals and objectives set forth in
3 this section. Contingent upon specific appropriations, the
4 coordinator shall:
5 (a) Facilitate an interagency workgroup within the
6 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council to integrate state
7 agency programs for suicide prevention into a unified
8 statewide plan;
9 (b) Review local, state, and national suicide
10 prevention programs for examples of innovative suicide
11 prevention models. If innovative models are discovered, the
12 coordinator shall prepare a presentation to describe the
13 feasibility of implementing some or all of the innovation
14 models in this state. The innovative models, and the
15 feasibility of their implementation in this state, shall be
16 evaluated by the Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council;
17 (c) Develop and maintain an Internet website with
18 links to appropriate suicide prevention resource documents,
19 suicide hotlines, state and community mental health agencies,
20 and appropriate national suicide prevention organizations;
21 (d) Identify and disseminate information regarding
22 crisis services for suicide prevention;
23 (e) Join with stakeholders in suicide prevention to
24 develop public awareness and media campaigns in each county
25 directed towards persons who are at risk of suicide;
26 (f) Provide technical assistance to educational
27 activities for residents of this state relating to suicide
28 prevention;
29 (g) Cooperate with school districts to develop
30 training and counseling programs for school-based suicide
31 prevention activities. The coordinator and school districts
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1 must also develop a method by which to evaluate each
2 prevention training and counseling program;
3 (h) Join with stakeholders in suicide prevention to
4 develop education and training programs for suicide
5 prevention. The education and training programs must be
6 directed first to persons who have face-to-face contact with
7 individuals who may be at risk of suicide. The training must
8 assist persons to recognize when an individual is at risk of
9 suicide and on how to properly refer those individuals to
10 treatment or support services;
11 (i) Review current research data and findings to
12 identify at-risk populations, factors relating to suicide, and
13 suicide prevention activities and disseminate this research to
14 the Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council to develop
15 strategies for preventing suicide; and
16 (j) Develop and submit proposals to agencies of the
17 state and Federal Government and to nongovernmental
18 organizations for funding suicide prevention activities.
19 Section 2. Section 397.3336, Florida Statutes, is
20 created to read:
21 397.3336 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council;
22 creation; membership; duties.--There is created within the
23 Office of Drug Control a Suicide Prevention Coordinating
24 Council. The council shall develop strategies for preventing
25 suicide.
26 (1) SCOPE OF ACTIVITY.--The Suicide Prevention
27 Coordinating Council shall:
28 (a) Develop a statewide plan for suicide prevention,
29 with the guiding principle being that suicide is a preventable
30 problem. The statewide plan must:
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1 1. Align and provide direction for statewide suicide
2 prevention initiatives;
3 2. Establish partnerships with state and private
4 agencies to promote public awareness of suicide prevention;
5 3. Address specific populations in this state who are
6 at risk for suicide;
7 4. Improve access to help individuals in acute
8 situations; and
9 5. Identify resources to support the implementation of
10 the statewide plan.
11 (b) Create an interagency workgroup within the council
12 in order to incorporate state agency plans for suicide
13 prevention into the statewide plan. The interagency workgroup
14 must include, but need not be limited to:
15 1. The Secretary of Elderly Affairs, or his or her
16 designee;
17 2. The Secretary of Health, or his or her designee;
18 3. The Commissioner of Education, or his or her
19 designee;
20 4. The Secretary of Health Care Administration, or his
21 or her designee;
22 5. The Secretary of Juvenile Justice, or his or her
23 designee;
24 6. The executive director of the Department of Law
25 Enforcement, or his or her designee;
26 7. The Secretary of Children and Family Services, or
27 his or her designee;
28 8. The Secretary of Corrections, or his or her
29 designee; and
30 9. The executive director of the Department of
31 Veterans' Affairs, or his or her designee.
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1 (c) Assemble an ad hoc advisory committee with
2 membership from outside the council when necessary in order
3 for the council to receive advice and assistance in carrying
4 out its responsibilities.
5 (d) Advise the Statewide Office for Suicide
6 Prevention.
7 (e) Make findings and recommendations regarding
8 suicide prevention programs and activities. The council shall
9 prepare an annual report and present it to the Governor, the
10 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
11 Representatives by January 1, 2006, and each year thereafter.
12 The annual report must describe the status of existing and
13 planned initiatives identified in the statewide plan for
14 suicide prevention and any recommendations arising therefrom.
15 (2) MEMBERSHIP.--The Suicide Prevention Coordinating
16 Council shall consist of 23 members.
17 (a) Nine members shall be appointed by the director of
18 the Office of Drug Control and shall represent the following
19 organizations:
20 1. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation,
21 Inc., described in s. 394.655;
22 2. The Florida Association of School Psychologists;
23 3. The Florida Sheriffs Association;
24 4. The Suicide Prevention Action Network USA;
25 5. The Florida Initiative of Suicide Prevention;
26 6. The Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition;
27 7. The Alzheimer's Association;
28 8. The Florida School Board Association; and
29 9. A representative from the Governor's mentoring
30 initiative.
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1 Each identified organization shall recommend three individuals
2 to the director for appointment to membership on the
3 coordinating council.
4 (b) The following state officials shall be appointed
5 to the coordinating council:
6 1. The Secretary of Elderly Affairs, or his or her
7 designee;
8 2. The Secretary of Health, or his or her designee;
9 3. The Commissioner of Education, or his or her
10 designee;
11 4. The Secretary of Health Care Administration, or his
12 or her designee;
13 5. The Secretary of Juvenile Justice, or his or her
14 designee;
15 6. The Secretary of Corrections, or his or her
16 designee;
17 7. The executive director of the Department of Law
18 Enforcement, or his or her designee;
19 8. The executive director of Veterans' Affairs, or his
20 or her designee; and
21 9. The Secretary of Children and Family Services, or
22 his or her designee.
23 (c) The Governor shall appoint five additional members
24 to the coordinating council. The appointees must have
25 expertise critical to the prevention of suicide or represent
26 an organization that is not already represented on the
27 coordinating council.
28 (d) Council members shall be appointed to terms of 4
29 years each. Any vacancy on the coordinating council shall be
30 filled in the same manner as the original appointment, and any
31 member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring because of death,
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1 resignation, or ineligibility for membership shall serve only
2 for the unexpired term of the member's predecessor. A member
3 is eligible for reappointment.
4 (e) Members of the coordinating council shall serve
5 without compensation. Any member of the coordinating council
6 who is a public employee is entitled to reimbursement for per
7 diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061.
8 (3) MEETINGS.--
9 (a) The director of the Office of Drug Control shall
10 be a nonvoting, ex officio member of the coordinating council
11 and shall act as chair.
12 (b) The coordinating council shall meet at least
13 quarterly or upon the call of the chair. The council meetings
14 may be held via teleconference or other electronic means.
15 (c) Public organizations shall participate and
16 cooperate with the coordinating council.
17 (4) FUNDING.--The Suicide Prevention Coordinating
18 Council may seek and accept grants or funds from any federal,
19 state, or local source to support its operation and defray the
20 expenses incurred in its operation and implementation of this
21 section.
22 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.
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2 SENATE SUMMARY
3 Creates the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention in
the Office of Drug Control within the Executive Office of
4 the Governor. Provides goals and objectives of the
office. Creates the position of statewide coordinator for
5 the statewide office. Details the duties and
responsibilities of the coordinator. Creates the Suicide
6 Prevention Coordinating Council. Provides the scope of
activities for the coordinating council. Establishes an
7 interagency workgroup for state agencies within the
coordinating council in order to coordinate state agency
8 plans for suicide prevention. Authorizes the coordinating
council to assemble an ad hoc committee to advise the
9 coordinating council. Provides for membership on the
coordinating council. Authorizes the coordinating council
10 to seek and accept grants or funds from any source to
support its operation.
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