Local Suicide Prevention Nonprofit Launches Crucial Campaign

MAY 1 BEGINS NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

Local Suicide Prevention Nonprofit Launches Crucial Campaign

JACKSONVILLE, FLA (May 1, 2026) – An innovative six-county nonprofit collaboration that’s been successfully fighting suicide in Northeast Florida communities is launching a new initiative designed to save more lives.

Talkable Communities launched in 2021 as a shared commitment among First Coast behavioral health organizations to expand access to mental health education and resources. Before state budget cuts this year, the initiative had mobilized and trained thousands of residents in Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties to help fight the root causes of suicide and mental health challenges.

“We’ve reached a crucial turning point,” said Mary Kelley Lancaster, project director for Talkable Communities. “We know this work saves lives and makes our communities more resilient. I’ve seen it create hope in people where none existed. Right now, that hope needs help.”

Talkable Communities must raise $300,000 in operational funding before the end of 2026 to continue the work it does each year offering suicide prevention and mental health first aid courses, Lancaster said. It’s an existential effort for the organization that has trained more than 12,000 people locally and nationally since 2021.

Talkable Communities funding enables more than 20 behavioral health professionals from five area nonprofits to offer residents across the country trainings in areas including: youth mental health first aid, adult mental health first aid, suicide crisis intervention and training for caregivers and family members interacting with people in crisis.

Organizations involved in the initiative include Starting Point Behavioral Health in Nassau County, Child Guidance Center and Gateway Community Services in Duval County, Clay Behavioral Health Center in Clay County and Putnam County and EPIC Behavioral Healthcare in St. Johns and Flager County.

The Hope Needs Help campaign urges residents locally and nationally to visit TalkableCommunities.org/HopeNeedsHelp to learn how they can save lives and foster mental wellbeing by supporting the fundraising initiative reach its goal.