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BILL KEITH TURNEY MEMORIAL SUICIDE PREVENTION SERVICE
OPERATED BY: TWYLLA MAE TURNEY
CONTACT INFORMATION: HC 66 Box 101,
Kadoka, SD 57543
Home Phone (605)462-6273
SUICIDE PREVENTION HOT LINE:
Toll free number: 1-888-208-0791
Local number: 462-6273
PURPOSE:
The Bill Keith Turney Memorial Suicide Prevention grew out
of the tragic death by hanging of Bill Keith Turney, 31, in the
Bennett County Jail in Martin, South Dakota on October 23, 2001. The
family of Bill Turney, in effort to prevent the pain suffered by
their family, established this program. Bills mother, Twylla Mae
Turney says: "If Bill's death and our pain can prevent other families
from to bear the unbearable, then his death will have come to some
good."
While, a particular concern exists for suicide by persons in
local, state of federal custody, the service is available to all
persons. Anyone interested in information about suicide or concerned
about a loved on may contact the program.
The program also has a particular concern for suicide within
Native American populations, but is available to persons of all races.
SERVICES PROVIDED:
1. SUCIDE PREVENTION CRISED SERVICE: Hot line available 24 hours
per day, number for residents residing in the Pine Ridge calling area.
2. SUICIDE PREVENTION THROUGH EDUCATION: Presentations to
schools, organizations, government agencies and other educate persons
on the warning signs and risk factors associated with suicide.
Referrals to helping agencies.
3. SUPPORT GROUPS FOR ADOLESCENTS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED OR
ATTEMTED SUICIDE AND THEIR LOVED ONES.
TARGET AREAS
1. Pine Ridge Reservation
2. Other Reservations in South Dakota
3. Off Reservation communities in South Dakota, especially
Rapid City
4. Off Reservation communities, especially "Border Towns"
in Nebraska
STATEMENT OF NEED:
There has been a rash suicides of Indians in custody of the
government. In 2002, and Indian male, James Dean Randall hung himself
in the Pennington County Jail.
In April 2001, an Indian male, Leighton Rich, hung himself at the
South Dakota State Prison in Sioux Falls. In October 23, 2001, Bill
Keith Turney hung himself in the Bennett County Jail. In March 2002,
Irven Milk killed himself in the Bennett County Jail. In May 2002
Patrick Red Feather killed himself in Sioux Falls shortly after
release from South Dakota State Prison. There have been hundreds of
suicides of persons of all races who are in custody. South Dakota has
ranked as number on or two in suicide rat in our prisons throught the
last 5 years. The desolation and separation from family and culture
makes this group at particularly high risk for suicide.
Nationwide statistics for 1999 show that the incidence of
suicide among all Native American is at least 1.5 time the rate for
all Americans. The incidence of suicide among Native Americans young
people is nearly three times that of the national rat in the United
States. Suicide rates alone do not adequately measure the individual
and social impact of suicides among small Indian communities.
In 1999 suicide took the lives 29, 199 Americans. That
represented 1.7 times more suicides that homicides. This fact led the
Surgeon General of the United States to issue a call to action to
prevent suicides.
The CDC figures for 1999 show that the suicide rate among
American Indian population was 12.4 per 100,000 population. For
Indian males of all ages the rate was 19.63. Suicide was the second
leading cause of deaths for both the age group 15-24 and the age
group 25-34 among Native Americans of both genders. It was the fifth
leading cause among person 35-44 years and the 9th leading cause
among all age groups of Native Americans.
The National Science Foundation announced a national
initiative to reduce suicide on June 17, 2002. The State of North
Dakota released a publication of the North Dakota Adolescent Suicide
Prevention Task Force in September, 2002. It is Entitled "Suicide by
North Dakota Teenagers and Young Adult, The North Dakota Response."
South Dakota has a particularly high rate of suicide but has no
statewide organization dealing with the problem. South Dakota has
notcommunity suicide prevention organizer for the Suicide Prevention
Action Network.
According to a study of Indian Health Service areas published
by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Center
for Disease Control, from 1979-1992, 2,394 Native Americans residing
in HIS service areas died from suicide. Native Americans had the
highest suicide rat of all populations in the country. That study
showed that suicide rate in the Aberdeen area of HIS which includes
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa were higher than other
areas, having a suicide rate of 24.5-30.7.
GOAL:
THE GOAL OF THE BILL DEITH TURNEY MEMORIAL SUICIDE PERVENTION
PROGRAM IS TO REDUCE SUCIDES AMONG NATIVE AMERICAN POPULATIONS. OVER
THE LONG TERM THE PROGRAM SEEKS TO REDUCE SUICIDE DEATHS BY 10
PERCENT WITH FIVE YEARS WITH AN AVERAGE REDUCTION OF TWO PERCENT PER
YEAR.
OBJECTIVES
1. To operate a crises intervention hot line available to anyone
with special emphasis on the Pine Ridge Reservation and the target
areas identified.
2. To establish a reference library of educational materials on
suicide prevention and intervention in cooperation with the Oglala
Lakota College Pia Wiconi Library in Kyle, South Dakota.
3. To develop suicide prevention packets for distribution to all
schools in the target areas, beginning with the Pine Ridge
Reservation and expanding to other target areas.
4. To develop suicide prevention resource lists for all target
areas.
5. To establish a speakers bureau to make presentations to
schools, community organizations and agencies and governmental bodies
and agencies beginning on the Pine Ridge Reservation and expanding to
all target areas.
6. To establish support groups for suicide prevention and for
suicide survivors starting on the Pine Ridge Reservation and
expanding to all target areas.
7. To develop networking agreements with national and state
suicide prevention organizations, with special emphasis on Suicide
Prevention in Native communities.
REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE
The Bill Keith Turney Suicide Prevention Program is
recognized the Oglala Sioux Tribe and has received a grant of $1,000
to establish the toll free number and begin the service on the Pine
Ridge Reservation.
The program is a privately run operation but can operate
under an umbrella of services provided by the Tribe or under the
umbrella of a non-profit corporation for purposes of tax deductions
provided by donors and grantors.
The program is seeking grants and donations to establish the
other services identified in the list of objectives. A donor or
grantor may provide funds to meet any objective or may make general
donations.
The estimated amount needed for each objective is:
1. Crises Intervention Line: $5,000 annually.
2. Resource Library: Initial output $10,000 with annual costs
of $2,000 for upkeep and updating.
3. Resource packets for schools: $10,000 annually.
4. Development of suicide prevention resource lists: Initial
cost $5,000 with annual cost estimated at $1,000
5. Network Development: Initial output, $3,000 for computer
system annual costs of $1,000 for internet service and software.
CONCLUSION:
In the interest of prevention the indescribably pain that
occurred to my family when my son. Bill Keith Turney killed himself
in the Bennett County Jail in Martin South Dakota on October 23,
2001, I want to establish a service that my prevent death by suicide.
In so doing, I believe that my son's death will have a positive
impact on other families. Any assistance provided to this program is
greatly appreciated.
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Photograph--Alfred Bone Shirt Sr. wearing a peace medal.