Project Title: Tulare County Suicide Prevention Task Force
Program Representative Interviewed: Noah Whitaker, Task Force Director
Location: Tulare County, California
Program Overview: The Tulare County Suicide Prevention
Task Force (SPTF) was established in 2009, with representatives from various sectors to create a
multi-disciplinary collaborative to prevent suicide. In its ten years, the SPTF has evolved to meet the
needs of its largely rural community while improving awareness of suicide as a preventable public health
problem, expanding screening for at-risk groups, and offering support for bereaved survivors of suicide.
One example of how the SPTF has tailored their programs to their community is through the Older Adult
Hopelessness Screening (OAHS) program. The program was started following an alarming increase in suicides
among older adults in the area. OAHS offers routine screening for hopelessness in older adults who visit the
public health clinic and has specialized mental health case managers available onsite for follow up as
needed. This offers older adults a discreet way of seeking mental health treatment and is a good example of
using screening tools effectively. The SPTF also has a Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) team
of community members who are dispatched following a suicide death in the community. The team is made up of
volunteers who have experienced a loss by suicide themselves and are able to refer survivors to grief and
bereavement counseling free of charge.
In addition to these two programs, the SPTF offers support
groups, mental health and suicide prevention training, and partners with local artists for projects
like the Hope Comic Book.
