City and County Mayors Sign Proclamation Declaring September 2026 Suicide Prevention Month

The DeKalb Prevention Coalition has partnered with the DeKalb County Health Department, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, and the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth to recognize September 2026 as Suicide Prevention Month. To mark this occasion, both the City Mayor and the County Mayor signed an official proclamation declaring September 2026 as Suicide Prevention Month in our community. The proclamation is as follows: 'WHEREAS, suicide is a tremendous form of suffering and one of the most disruptive and tragic events a family and a community can experience, with more than 1,200 lives lost in Tennessee each year and an estimated 25 attempted suicides for each suicide death; and WHEREAS, suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in Tennessee, the third leading cause of death among youth and young adults ages 10 to 24, as well as the fourth leading cause of death of adults ages 35-44, and the eighth leading cause of death of adults ages 45-54; and WHEREAS, understanding the risk of suicide can be reduced through awareness, education, and treatment; and WHEREAS, suicide prevention has been declared a state priority by Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Legislature; and WHEREAS, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States; and WHEREAS, a Suicide Prevention Network Advisory Council has been appointed to coordinate the implementation of the Tennessee Strategy for Suicide Prevention; and WHEREAS, the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network is a grassroots collaboration of Tennesseans and organizations working to eliminate the stigma of suicide, educate the community about the warning signs of suicide, and ultimately reduce the rate of suicide in our state; and WHEREAS, TSPN encourages all Tennesseans to become trained and play a role in suicide prevention to support quality of life; and Whereas, everyone can play a role in suicide prevention by recognizing, learning, and sharing the risk and warning signs, decreasing the stigma as a means to promote help-seeking by talking about suicide using safe messaging, and sharing the available resources; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Beth Chandler, Mayor of Smithville, and I, Patrick Ray, Mayor of DeKalb County, do hereby proclaim September 2026 as Suicide Prevention Month in Smithville and DeKalb County, Tennessee, and urge all citizens to work to prevent suicide and to raise awareness and compassion around all people affected by this tragedy.' Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (Available 24/7, free, and confidential) or for Emergency Services: Call 911.