Family Links Respite Program Receives PeyBack Foundation Grant

 Family Links Respite, a program of Frontier Health, received a $5,000 grant from the PeyBack Foundation.

  The PeyBack Foundation was established in 1999 by Peyton Manning to support programs that provide leadership and growth opportunities for at-risk children in Indiana, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

  This grant will fund the FLR Summer Camp Scholarship, as well as special trips and activities for children with severe emotional disturbances who receive Family Links services. The activities provide a much-needed break for parents and help the children served by Family Links to develop positive behavior and social skills.

   This is the first time Family Links Respite has received a grant through the PeyBack Foundation. “We are thankful for the PeyBack Foundation’s support for our program. This grant will help provide the children in our program with the chance to enjoy new experiences and develop life-long skills,” said Lisa Christian, Family Links program coordinator.

Family Links provides short-term respite services for parents and caregivers of children 2 to 15 years old with severe emotional disturbances or mental illness. The program works with families to improve behavioral issues and social skills. Family Links serves children in the Tri-Cities area. If you would like more information about Family Links respite services, call (423) 232-2719.

Therapeutic Foster Care

More than 550,000 Need Help Annually

   Imagine being taken from your home, not knowing when or if you'll ever return. Clutching a small overnight bag, you leave most of your belongings, your bed and your family behind.
     Nationwide more than 550,000 children and youth face this situation every year. "While trying to overcome what led them to a new home, a child must learn to trust, love and laugh again," said Sherry Feathers, division director of Frontier Health's Tennessee Children's Continuum Services.
     The average age of children in foster care is 10 and more than 130,000 of them are unable to return to their birth families - they're waiting to be adopted.

    TRACES therapeutic foster care was created in 1992 based on the needs for foster care in the region by three centers: Volunteer Behavioral Health in Chattanooga, Helen Ross McNabb Center in Knoxville and Frontier Health in Northeast Tennessee. VALUES was created in Virginia's Planning District One area to respond to their growing need.
     TRACES provides prospective foster parents 45 hours of extensive initial training and once a family is approved, continuing training is providing, including semimonthly meetings with other trained parents for support and socialization.

     VALUES also provides extensive training for prospective parents and continuing training including special workshops scheduled throughout the year.
     You can help. Become a foster parent of a child, youth or sibling group. Take time to honor a foster parent: express appreciation for their efforts, donate to a local foster care agency or help raise awareness within the community.

     Be a volunteer child court advocate through CASA; mentor a youth and/or hire or help a young person in foster care find a job.
     For more information on becoming foster or adoptive parents, or to offer your support, call (423) 224-1048 in Tennessee and (276) 431-4370 in Virginia.

Preventing Suicide

Frontier Health Teams with Jason Foundation, TSPN, AAS

   In Carter, Green, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties in 2000 and 2001, there were 1,668 attempted suicides. In 2002 in Tennessee there were 778 reported suicides.

   In Virginia in 2003 there were 3,309 attempted suicides and 797 reported suicides. Suicide rates for Southwest Virginia are twice as high as statewide.

   Frontier Health's suicide prevention efforts led to work with the Jason Foundation, the Ammerican Association of Suicidology, the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network and the Virginia Department of Health's Suicide Prevention.

   Nationwide every 117 minutes someone under age 25 commits suicide. In 2000 more than 3 million youth 12 to 17 years old seriously considered suicide and more than 1 million attempted suicide — that's more than 19,000 attempts each week, or two attempts per minute.

  Call 1-800-Suicide and be routed from the AAS national number to our local network. TSPN can be found at www.tspn.org.

   For teen suicide prevention, call the Jason Foundation Community Assistance Resource Line, 800-711-7701. They can help answer questions about behavior that could be signs of suicidal ideation or other mental health conditions. Referrals are made when necessary.

       Suicide Prevention Community    
            Assistance Resource Line

                       800-711-7701

    To help prevent youth suicide, Frontier Health affiliated with The Jason Foundation to bring community service programs that help prevent youth suicide by increasing awareness and education. The programs are for youth, parents, teachers, churches and youth organizations.

   "This affiliation will facilitate outreach programs in the prevention and awareness of youth suicide in eight counties of East Tennessee currently serviced by Frontier Health," says Michele Ray, vice president and CFO of The Jason Foundation, a national organization dedicated to fostering awareness and prevention of teen-age suicide. "The Jason Foundation will train Frontier Health personnel to implement Jason Foundation programs for adults and youth."

   Education is provided by Frontier Health including in-service for educators, parent seminars and the school-based curriculum "A Promise for Tomorrow." The plan includes a campaign to increase community awareness of the tragedy of suicide through brochures, public service announcements and media opportunities.

   The Jason Foundation Community Assistance Resource Line, 800-711-7701, is a resource information line for students, parents, teachers and other community members. The resource calls are handled by a mental health triage who make referrals as necessary.

Some suicide facts:
• Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds, and 4th between 10 and 14 year olds.
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college-aged youth.
• In 1996 more teens dies of suicide than the combined deaths from cancer, heard disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease.
• Four out of five youths who attempt suicide give clear warnings.
• Twice as many die from suicide than HIV/AIDS.

    More people die from suicide than the combined total of deaths in armed conflicts around the world, and in many places, about the same or more than those dying from traffic accidents. In any year, 6 percent of the population has serious thoughts of suicide.

   Most people considering suicide signal their distress and their intent. Training can help us see and respond to their invitations to help. It can provide the confidence to ask about suicide if we are concerned about someone's safety. It can provide us with the tools to help prevent the immediate risk of suicide.