Governor Bill Haslam has signed into law the Ken and Made Tullis Suicide Prevention Training Act of 2017. The law is schedule to take effect January 1, 2020.

Suicides are dramatically on the increase here in Rutherford County, and this new legislation requires that a specific amount of training for therapists, pastoral therapists, social workers, Alcohol and dug abuse counselors, and occupational therapists be in suicide prevention, intervention and post-vention. .

The new law assures that between now and the inaction date, those who are licensed to work with this type of patient must have the required training to maintain their licensing. Further it assures that counselors in Tennessee will be trained to help patients through a suicide crisis.