Suicide Prevention for School Communities: An Educational Initiative for Student Safety.

A knowledge gap exists in school communities regarding suicide prevention and means reduction education. The article highlights two core interrelated topics: school nurse engagement in dialogue with students' families and the implementation of an innovative, community-based suicide prevention educational program at a suburban public school district. The authors provide an overview of the public health problem of suicide for students, current student challenges, role of the school nurse in suicide prevention, and a key gap in current school nursing practice. At the request of the school counselors and principal, an innovative suicide prevention educational program was initiated as a community-based project at a large suburban public school district in Texas. The two overarching goals for this community-based collaboration are the following: school nurses will engage in frank, productive conversations with students' parents and families about suicidality concerns and increase the school community's knowledge about suicide prevention. This school community knowledge includes effective risk mitigation and means reduction strategies to better manage suicidality in students. Ultimately, this ongoing family and school community collaboration aims to prevent student deaths by suicide.

School-based blood drive: successful nurse collaboration with parents, students, and the community.

The nurses at an independent Pre-K through 12 educational institution in Houston, Texas (The Kinkaid School), expanded the blood drive program to include innovative collaboration with high school student leaders, parents, and school faculty. Methods implemented in this endeavor included technology utilization, science education, and an enhanced parent workforce. By focusing on community involvement and an altruistic reason for donating, the Kinkaid school nurses helped their community break school donation records 2 years in a row.