Tulare County officials on Aug. 26 presented local suicide-prevention work, recognized September 2025 as Suicide Prevention Month, and warned that changes in state funding rules will alter how prevention services are paid for in the future.

Dr. Jennifer Newell, clinical services administrator for Behavioral Health, told the Board the county’s suicide-prevention task force supports a loss team, campus interventions and community trainings. "This morning, we would like to provide you with an overview of SPTF activities, share data for Tulare County... and introduce you to miss Marybeth Tippett, who will share her personal story," Newell said.

Local data and services: Darcy Massey, family advocate manager, presented county numbers and program activity. She said Tulare County recorded 55 suicide deaths in 2024 and 58 in 2023, the county’s highest year. By mid-2025 the county had seen a lower total early in the year but reported a rise over a seven-week span; Massey gave the tally to date and noted the majority of local deaths are men and that adults aged roughly 19–44 are a leading demographic.

The task force runs a Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide (LOSS) team that proactively contacts next of kin after a suicide, offers in-person follow-up and maintains a survivors support group. "Our loss team over the last 10 years has met with over 400 loved ones in our community," Massey said. County presenters highlighted partnerships with the Tulare County Office of Education, local colleges and community providers.

State funding change: Presenters told the board that Proposition 1 (passed by California voters in March 2024) transitions the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) into the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), effective July 2026. Under BHSA, counties will no longer receive the same prevention funds; instead, 4% of total BHSA funds will be allocated to the California Department of Public Health for statewide population-based prevention services, including suicide prevention. "Under MHSA, counties receive funding for prevention services... Under BHSA, the prevention funds will no longer be provided to county behavioral health," Newell said, adding that the county is preparing new funding strategies and train-the-trainer programs to sustain local training capacity.

Survivor testimony: Marybeth Tippett, who lost her son Jace in 2015, described the personal and community impacts of suicide and the role of the LOSS team in her grief and advocacy. "I attended my first survivors of suicide support group just 3 weeks after Jace's death... I began to learn that I was not alone," Tippett said. She described working with schools to change policies and organizing fundraising events; she told the board her efforts raised more than $21,000 for the county task force.

Board recognition and remarks: Supervisor Shuckling presented a proclamation recognizing September as Suicide Prevention Month and urged residents to use local resources. Several board members expressed condolences to Tippett and praised staff for prevention and postvention efforts. "These are hard stories to hear, but I think more people need to hear them so we can do what we can do to help in the future to prevent anything," Supervisor McCarty said.

What the county will do next: Presenters said the LOSS team will continue outreach regardless of funding changes and that the county is exploring alternative funding streams and expanding local training capacity. Staff asked the board to recognize the proclamation and continue support for prevention and postvention services.

Speakers quoted in this article appeared in the Aug. 26 Tulare County Board of Supervisors meeting: Casey Ennis (Deputy Director, HHSA), Dr. Jennifer Newell (Clinical Services Administrator), Darcy Massey (Family Advocate Manager), and Marybeth Tippett (survivor and volunteer facilitator).