The Naples Children Foundation has partnered with other agencies to help keep kids safe after suicide attempts.
The nonprofit foundation is providing medication lockboxes to parents or other caregivers for safely storing prescriptions and over-the-counter medications.
The other agencies involved are the Florida Department of Health in Collier County, David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health, Collier County Public Schools and Naples Comprehensive Health.
According to Florida data, more than 500 kids in Collier County were placed under the Baker Act for evaluation following suicide attempts from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. The law allows kids to be detained for a mental health evaluation.
A significant number of the attempted suicides involved prescriptions or over-the-counter medications.
In Collier, youth experiencing a mental health crisis are primarily transported to David Lawrence and NCH.
Upon their discharge, families will now receive a lockbox to safely store medications at home. Each lockbox features a decal linking directly to the Collier CARES Emergency & Hotlines resource page, ensuring families have immediate access to critical support information.
“This project is modeled after proven prevention strategies that promote not only safe medication storage but also proper disposal of prescription and over-the-counter medications,” Maria Jimenez-Lara, chief executive officer of NCF, said.
“These are recognized as two of the most effective ways to prevent accidental poisoning, overdose, medication misuse and youth drug addiction,” she said.
The medication lockbox initiative reflects a proactive, community-wide response to youth mental health challenges, prioritizing prevention and safety through coordinated care and education.
NCF is the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival which has been transforming and improving the lives of 385,000 local children through educational programs, emotional support and health care services.
Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCF has impacted nearly 90 of the most effective nonprofits in the local community.
The lockbox project was developed by a Youth Mental Health Workgroup after reviewing local data and identifying medication access as a leading contributor to Baker Act cases among children and adolescents.
The effort aims to reduce access to potentially harmful substances during periods of vulnerability and support families in creating safer home environments.
“By putting a simple lockbox in a family’s hands at the moment they need it most, we’re reducing access to medications during a vulnerable time and adding one more layer of protection for our kids,” Nancy Dauphinais, chief operating officer at David Lawrence, said.
“This is what community partnership looks like, turning data into action and prevention into something practical families can use right away,” Dauphinais said.
Once the project is fully implemented, the partners will continue to evaluate its impact and explore additional opportunities to expand access to medication safety resources across the community.
For more than 55 years, David Lawrence has centered around providing exceptional, lifesaving and life-changing behavioral health care available to all.
For more information, David Lawrence website is davidlawrencecenters.org. Information about NCF can be found at napleschildrenfoundation.org.
Liz Freeman is a health care reporter. Reach her by emailing lfreeman@naplesnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: New lockbox program helps prevent youth suicide in Collier
Reporting by Liz Freeman, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
