Sec. 20. General awareness and screening program.

220 words·~1 min read·/il/chapter-410/act-53/20

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(a)The Department shall provide technical assistance for the work of the Alliance and the production of the Plan and shall distribute general information and screening tools for suicide prevention to the general public through local public health departments throughout the State. These materials shall be distributed to agencies, schools, hospitals, churches, places of employment, and all related professional caregivers to educate all citizens about warning signs and interventions that all persons can do to stop the suicidal cycle.

(b)This program shall include, without limitation, all of the following:

(1)Educational programs about warning signs and how to help suicidal individuals.

(2)Educational presentations about suicide risk and how to help at-risk people in

special populations and with bilingual support to special cultures.

(3)The designation of an annual suicide awareness week or month to include a public

awareness campaign on suicide.

(4)An annual statewide suicide prevention conference.

(5)An Illinois Suicide Prevention Speaker's Bureau.

(6)A program to educate the media regarding the guidelines developed by the American

Association for Suicidology for coverage of suicides and to encourage media cooperation in adopting these guidelines in reporting suicides.

(7)Increased training opportunities for volunteers, professionals, and other caregivers

to develop specific skills for assessing suicide risk and intervening to prevent suicide.