Nursing students to stress suicide prevention in program for Baton Rouge teens
Contact: Rene Abadie
3/24/09
HAMMOND – A suicide prevention program coordinated by several Southeastern Louisiana University graduating nursing students will be presented to the students of Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge on March 27.
The teen-focused intervention entitled “This is one doodle that can’t be undid,” a line taken from the teen-oriented movie “Juno,” is designed to empower young people with a message of hope grounded in knowledge regarding suicide prevention, according to Southeastern nursing student and project group member Aimee Chemin of Watson.
The program is the Southeastern nursing seniors' Capstone Project, a community-based health assignment required for graduation in which the students are expected to design and implement a project that addresses a community health issue. In addition to the presentation, a comprehensive post-event evaluation is collected and reviewed.
Southeastern students responsible for organizing the community out-reach project include Chemin, Brittany Long of Denham Springs, Jennifer Sing of Prairieville, Felicia Broussard of Luling, Melissa Bourgeois of Brusly, and Hailie Cook, Josh Slaven and Celeste Balint, all of Baton Rouge. Clinical instructor for the project is Rebecca Bombet.
“We selected this for our project in recognition of the fact that suicide is the number three cause of death among young people ages 15 to 24,” said Chemin. “According to the Center for Disease Control, suicide accounts for nearly 10 percent of the deaths among young people in Louisiana, preceded only by unintentional injury resulting in deaths and homicides. While we hope to affect all of the students at Parkview, if we can make an impact on even one, we feel like this project was worthwhile.”
The program features guest appearances by State Representative Erich Ponti of Baton Rouge and LSU head football coach Les Miles, who is serving as regional spokesperson for the Jason Foundation, Inc. This nationally based foundation, an educational organization dedicated to the prevention of the youth suicide through awareness programs, is providing its curriculum to Parkview and specialized training for the faculty free of charge.
As part of the program, the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center's Executive Director Norma Rutledge and members of her staff will present a panel discussion prompted by audience participation. The Crisis Center will also provide support counselors to be available after the program for students who would like further information or the opportunity to talk to a professional.
The Southeastern nursing students expressed their appreciation to Parkview Baptist principal Nathan Barber who has agreed for the program to be presented to the entire high school student body consisting of more than 500 students.
Gift cards, coupons and other give-aways will be provided to the participating students by a number of area companies and organizations, including Walk-ons, TJ Ribs, Chick-Fil-A, Northstar Power Distribution, Inc., Forrester and Dick Law Firm, Cici’s Pizza, Smoothie King, Raising Canes, Circle Bowl, Don Carter Bowling, Olive Garden, and the Southeastern Office of Admissions.
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