Purdue Fort Wayne to lead new suicide prevention efforts

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - Purdue University Fort Wayne has won a $130,000 state contract to boost Indiana's suicide prevention and intervention initiatives.

The university's Behavioral Health and Family Studies Institute will oversee work to develop training, presentations and events to boost mental health awareness in a partnership with the Indiana Suicide Prevention Coalition.

The new programming funded by the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction will then be used by 19 suicide prevention coalitions around the state.

Alice Jordan-Miles is director of the university's Behavioral Health and Family Studies Institute. She says "the bottom line is we want to save lives" by letting adults and young people know it's a good thing to get help for mental health issues.

Jordan-Miles says that last year more than 1,000 Hoosiers died by suicide.