The Tennessee Department of Health has announced it has received $750,000 for suicide prevention efforts over the next five years.
According to a Monday news release, Tennessee's health agency is one of nine organizations to receive the funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The money will be used to expand existing efforts and implement new activities, with a focus on preventing suicide among vulnerable populations.
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%.
