Bill Text: TX HR493 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring Merily H. Keller for her service as cofounder and co-coordinator of the Texas Suicide Prevention Council.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-03-15 - Reported enrolled [HR493 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR493-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 493 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Merily H. Keller has distinguished herself as a | ||
| steadfast advocate for mental health in the State of Texas | ||
| throughout her many years of service as a co-coordinator and | ||
| founding board member of the Texas Suicide Prevention Council; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Ms. Keller's tireless efforts have helped TSPC grow | ||
| to include more than 70 local coalitions, which are united in their | ||
| commitment to reducing incidents of suicide in Texas; a statewide | ||
| master trainer for the organization, she developed an | ||
| evidence-based suicide prevention program called "ASK," along with | ||
| a number of apps, videos, and other instructional materials, and | ||
| she authored and edited "Coming Together to Care: A Suicide | ||
| Prevention and Postvention Toolkit for Texas Communities"; she also | ||
| serves on the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's ad hoc | ||
| Postvention Task Force, which assists schools and communities in | ||
| the aftermath of youth suicide attempts and deaths; along the way, | ||
| she has assisted in the passage of legislation allowing Texas | ||
| communities to share timely data on deaths by suicide and requiring | ||
| suicide prevention plans to be implemented at all Texas school | ||
| districts; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Ms. Keller has long been a leader and a catalyst for | ||
| change, having been part of the steering team that wrote the Texas | ||
| State Plan for Suicide Prevention in 2002; in addition, she was | ||
| among the founders of the Central Texas Chapter of the American | ||
| Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Austin/Travis County | ||
| Suicide Prevention Coalition; before helping to establish TSPC, she | ||
| worked as a coordinator for the Texas GLS Youth Suicide Prevention | ||
| Project, with a focus on sharing evidence-based practices with | ||
| communities across the state; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, | ||
| Ms. Keller embarked on her career in mental health education and | ||
| suicide prevention after spending more than 25 years in the field of | ||
| communications and education outreach; today, she regularly speaks | ||
| and trains on a variety of topics and strategies for suicide | ||
| prevention and postvention, as well as delivers presentations and | ||
| attends panels for state and regional suicide prevention summits; | ||
| she is the recipient of numerous accolades for her work, including a | ||
| 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from Women Communicators of Austin; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, Through her leadership in TSPC and her involvement | ||
| in a multitude of other organizations, Merily Keller has done | ||
| tremendous work to make suicide prevention a public health priority | ||
| in the State of Texas, and her contributions have earned her the | ||
| profound respect and appreciation of many; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby honor Merily H. Keller for her service as | ||
| cofounder and co-coordinator of the Texas Suicide Prevention | ||
| Council and extend to her sincere best wishes for the future; and, | ||
| be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for Ms. Keller as an expression of high regard by the Texas | ||
| House of Representatives. | ||
| Price | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 493 was adopted by the House on March | ||
| 13, 2019, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
