Clarksville Suicide Prevention Alliance shines light on suicide prevention

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The #BeThere Clarksville event brought multiple resources for suicide prevention under one roof and introduced the goals of the Clarksville Suicide Prevention Alliance.

The Clarksville Suicide Prevention Alliance (CSPA) was established in 2018 and is a group of community leaders who answered the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s Challenge to prevent suicide among service members, veterans and families.

The mission of CSPA is to reduce suicide through effective messaging, caregiver training, crisis intervention, and data gathering and analysis.  A longer-term goal is to establish structure and funding for a full-time community suicide prevention coordinator.

The #BeThere Clarksville Suicide Prevention Summit was held on Thursday, October 3 at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center from 9 a.m-2 p.m.

The free event brought multiple speakers and local and regional non-profit organizations, veteran advocacy, mental health services, and military and family provisions, together to have a conversation on a common goal.

Bill Harpel, military liaison for the City of Clarksville, said the event is one of many in the future that brings all the resources, leaders and community members in need of services, under one roof to talk about suicide prevention.

“When the challenge was issued we felt naturally obligated to our community, which has always supported the military and families,” Harpel said. “We know that our community has always cared and we’ve, sadly, had many experiences of death by suicide. … To have all the groups that work to assist and provide resources under one roof is a blessing.”

The keynote speaker was Jodie Robison, Centerstone Executive Director for Military Services, who has more than 20 years of behavioral health and management experience, served as the Lead Clinician for the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone and previously as Director of Clinical Services for Centerstone’s Military Services.

The event included a panel and small group discussion to start the community conversation on how suicide, the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, can be prevented in the Clarksville-Montgomery County community.