We warn you, this next story discusses suicide and mental health crises.

Last night, we introduced you to a mother in Northern Kentucky who lost her daughter to suicide.

Tonight, we have more on the community response in Boone County and how that mother is seeking change in Frankfort.

Our Emily Sisk has more.

After five Boone County teens died by suicide between November 2024 and this February.

The public called for action as a result.

The community formed the Boone County Suicide Response Team to educate the public and navigate the loss.

Suicide and Mental Health is a public health issue, and it's one that if we want to address and make sure our community is supported.

We all really need to start having conversations about it.

Maybe those conversations didn't happen in the household when you grew up.

But now things are turning and they're changing.

So we need to be aware that children today are exposed to different vulnerabilities that they weren't exposed to 30 years ago.

The Northern Kentucky Health Department is just one of 40 different agencies involved in the response team, from the judge executive office to the school district and police department.

The agencies are learning together how to approach mental well-being.

The schools are talking about what they need.

The first responders are sharing what they need.

The response team is currently focused on training the agencies and how to talk about suicide and share resources.

They also want to connect to the families who have suffered a loss.

Meanwhile, Jamie Sipes, who lost her 13 year old daughter Audrey to suicide last December, sought out change in Frankfort.

She sat down with Rocky Adkins senior advisor to the governor.

They talked about Audrey's death and the string of suicides in Boone County.

Jamie said it was the first time in months she felt heard.

I was mind blown and honestly, I didn't really know who it was, but I was just like, okay, somebody is talking to me.

Somebody is paying attention.

Somebody hears me.

From there, Jamie was connected with State Representative Kim Mosier.

Mosier serves Kenton County in northern Kentucky and is chair of the Health Services Committee.

Jamie shared with the representative about her daughter's experience.

Audrey had interacted with an online group that idolized violence and admired offenders like the Columbine school shooters.

Her mother believes this played the largest part in Audrey taking her own life.

There are a lot of things that are coming at kids right now, and so we're talking about young kids and they're very impressionable and they're very interested.

They're just learning about their world.

And if this is what they're seeing, that's concerning.

Mosier said she is looking into ways to deter this kind of online behavior.

We started talking about potentially enhancing penalties for someone who has, contributed to or knowingly targeted a kid, and they end up either attempting suicide or completing the act.

The state government is also paying attention to other states who have seen similar clusters of suicide in Utah.

The state created safe UT, an app that provides an immediate crisis chat and confidential tip line for students, parents and educators.

Mosier wants to see a similar offering in Kentucky.

It would just allow a child to reach out for help if they're in a crisis situation.

I hope that this app is available because that gives them the freedom and less anxiety about speaking of what's really happening.

For now, Jamie is staying connected with policymakers.

She said advocating for change is her way of keeping going.

You know, every way.

Everyone grieves different.

So my grieving is to make a change, but bigger, bigger than being county.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Emily Sisk.

Thank you Emily.

As a reminder, if you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.