Corporate Articles

TENNESSEE SUICIDE PREVENTION NETWORK
TENNESSEE SUICIDE PREVENTION ADVISORY COUNCIL

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of the organization shall be the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Advisory Council (hereinafter referred to as “the Council”).

ARTICLE II -Mission Statement

The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Advisory Council shall be an independent, non-partisan, voluntary group of individuals, organizations, and agencies (public and private) who promote community awareness of the signs of suicide and intervention strategies for the prevention of suicide.

The council’s goal is to coordinate implementation of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Strategy, based on the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Suicide.

The council will work to support and accomplish the following strategies:

  • Promote awareness that suicide is a public health problem that is preventable.
  • Develop broad-based support for suicide prevention.
  • Develop & implement strategies to reduce the stigma associated with being a consumer of mental health, substance abuse, and suicide prevention services.
  • Develop and implement suicide prevention programs.
  • Promote efforts to reduce easy access to self-harm or suicide.
  • Implement training for recognition of at-risk behavior and delivery of effective treatment.
  • Develop and promote effective clinical and professional practices.
  • Improve access to and community linkages with mental health and substance abuse services.
  • Improve reporting and portrayals of suicidal behavior, mental illness, and substance abuse in the entertainment and news media.
  • Promote and support research on suicide and suicide prevention.

ARTICLE III ~ MEMBERSHIP AND MEETINGS

Members

All Council powers shall be exercised by or under the authority of the Council membership, and all the business and affairs of the Council shall be managed under the direction of the membership.

Number

The membership shall consist of survivors, attempters, private health care professionals, clergy, teachers, correctional workers, family members, nursing home workers, day care workers and advocates. Each of the seven regions should have up to or no more than three people that represent their regions as voting members.

The membership of the Council may include appointments of representatives to serve as ex-officio from the following Departments.

  • Tennessee State Executive Branch
  • Department of Human Services
  • Department of Children Services
  • Department of Correction
  • Department of Health
  • Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services
  • Department of Education
  • Tennessee Commission on Aging
  • Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth
  • Department of Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities
  • Office of the Council on Developmental Disabilities
  • Office of Minority Health
  • Tennessee Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges

The Council shall strive to promote cultural and geographic diversity within the membership.

Nomination of Membership and Officers

The Nominating Committee shall have the responsibility to make nominations for the Council membership and slate of officers. The Chair shall appoint the Chair of the Nominating Committee. The Chair shall select a Nominating Committee, which will include a Council member from each of the eight regions. Not more than one Nominating Committee member shall be chosen from each region.

Election of Officers and Membership

Nominations may be received from the floor. The slate of nominees will be recommended to the Governor of Tennessee or his designee, Commissioner of the Tennessee Executive Branch that is responsible for mental health services/public health for appointment to the Council.

Term

Council members will be appointed for a two-year term beginning on October of each year. There is no limit to the number of terms a Council member may serve.

Council Meetings Time

The Council meetings shall be held at least every six months.

Special Meetings of the Council

Special meetings of the Council may be called by the Chair or Co-Chair. Special meetings must be preceded by at least ten days notice of the date, time, place, and purpose of the meeting, mailed to each officer and Council member, or said information communicated by telephone or electronically.

Voting

Voting members shall include representatives of the regional groups as stated above. The affirmative vote of the eligible voting members present is the act of the council. A member who is present at a meeting of the council when Council action is taken is deemed to have assented to such action, unless; 1) Such member objects at the beginning of the meeting (or promptly upon arrival) to holding the meeting or transacting business at the meeting or, 2) such member’s dissent or abstention from the action taken is entered in the minutes of the meeting. All recommendations shall be by majority vote.

Resignation

A member may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the Council or to the Chair. A resignation is effective when the notice is delivered unless the notice specifies a later effective date.

Vacancy

Any vacancy on the Council for any cause shall be filled for the un-expired term by vote of the council at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Council.

Termination

Any member who misses two (2) consecutive meetings without good cause may be subject to termination.

ARTICLE IV ~ OFFICERS

Officers

The officers of the Council shall be the Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary and Co-Secretary.

Resignation

An officer may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the Council. Such resignation is effective when such notice is delivered unless notice specifies a later effective date.

Vacancy

Any vacancy in an office for any cause may be filled for the un-expired portion of the term by vote of the Council at the next scheduled Council meeting.

Duties of the Chair

The Chair shall be the meeting facilitator of the council. The Chair may attend Committee meetings in an advisory, non-voting capacity.

Duties of the Co-Chair

The Co-Chair shall be an active executive officer of the Council, shall assist the Chair by facilitating meetings in the absence of the chair, and shall perform such other duties as the Council may from time to time prescribe. The Co-Chair may attend committee meetings in an advisory, non-voting capacity.

Duties of the Secretary

The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Council and the Executive Committee and shall prepare and record all recommendations and all minutes of all such meetings. The Secretary shall perform such other duties incident to the office of Secretary as prescribed from time to time by the Council.

Duties of the Co-Secretary

The Co-Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Council and the Executive Committee and shall prepare and record all recommendations and all minutes of all such meeting in the absence of the Secretary. The Co-Secretary shall perform such other duties incident to the office of Secretary as prescribed from time to time by the Council.

Term

The term of office of all officers shall be one (1) year beginning October 1st of each year. An officer may be re-elected for one (1) consecutive, one-year term.

ARTICLE V ~ COMMITTEES

Executive Committees

The executive committee shall consist of the officers and the statewide coordinator.

The executive committee shall conduct necessary business of the Council between semi-annual meetings.

Appointment of Committees

There shall be such standing and special committees as the Advisory Council may from time to time determine, or as shall be appointed by the Chair and the Statewide Suicide Prevention Network Director.

ARTICLE VI ~ CORPORATE ACTIONS

Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Council shall be October 1 through September 30 of each year.

Amendments

Amendments maybe recommended at any regularly scheduled meeting of the Council by the membership by majority vote provided that the proposed amendment(s) have been mailed to all members fourteen days in advance of the meeting.

Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall be observed in meetings of the Council.

DRAFT: September 2001
COUNCIL Approved: September 26, 2001
Governor’s Approved: September 28, 2001
Effective Date: October 1, 2001

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