Meet Nannette Prevost

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nannette Prevost. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nannette below.

Nannette, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose after the loss of my husband to suicide. Hello, my name is Nannette Prevost, I’m an RN, CEO and Founder of a nonprofit called Remember Me NFP. I am a surgical nurse of 37 years and a widowed mother to two boys. I have been a surgical nurse my entire career in the operating room of an urban hospital right here in Pinellas County, Florida. Life-Changing Event
Families often wonder why their loved ones take their own life; I know why. In my case, my ex-military husband Shane, left a suicide letter addressing his lack of care while living with bipolar disorder. In it he talked about his struggle trying to get off some of his medications by himself.
I lost my husband of 16 years in 2012, to a death which was sudden, unexpected, and impossible to explain to our sons, who were five and twelve at the time. Life as a single parent and widow is difficult for all of us, mentally and financially.
Through our years of marriage, I bore witness to the harmful effects of stigma surrounding mental health. The root cause of this, it seemed to me, was and still is, lack of education and understanding by family members, friends, coworkers, and lack of intervention without psychiatric medications. In Shane’s case his reluctance to seek help or to seek treatment was in fear of somebody finding out he had bipolar. He felt shame and judgement. I struggled to find any support groups for strength and encouragement for him and for me and my family and friends.
My worst nightmare had happened. Shane had died, my children lost their father, and I lost a best friend and husband. We had no family here at the time. Stigma existed in my workplace where nobody talked about suicide. As a community, we have a lack of communication about where to go for help after experiencing a loss to suicide. There is no requirement for mental health education for healthcare professionals in our state of Florida.
You are not only faced with a loss that is hard to understand, but now faced with living in poverty which you were once financially stable with two incomes. You receive social security benefits for your children that stop when they are 18 years of age and they put you in an economic income class as a retiree! I was 42 years old. You are not allowed to work over a certain number of hours, or you lose your social security or must pay them back. It forces you to work part time in which you end up paying a large amount for health benefits. Most people are unaware most life insurance policies are exempt from Suicide. Life for families after a suicide should fall under a disability. Recovery from a loss to suicide is a lifetime commitment.
My Road to recovery: Support groups and Faith
It was my Faith in God and my church that we found peace to heal. I eventually created programs that helped me heal and opened them up to the public to help others.
Since I live close to one of the most beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, I ended up experimenting with water therapy in general and paddle boarding. I found I could release my negative thoughts using nature. Water was very calming to me, and it was a place for me to cry by myself and gather my thoughts. I would paddle board sometimes 6 miles a day. I went on from there to hold the title as one of the fastest paddle board racers in West Florida. I am sponsored for that by Watersport West in Largo, Florida.
I figured if paddle boarding helped me, it could help anyone else who is struggling and help raise awareness. That’s when I came across the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP), especially the Out of the Darkness program where I found healing and realized I was not alone. When I read the brochure they produce, Talk Saves Lives, it changed my life forever. In it they describe the warning signs & symptoms of failing mental health. I recognized multiple signs on many pages which my husband had been suffering from. How could I NOT have known this being a healthcare worker?
I realized that I had lost my husband to stigma and lack of education. I feel strongly that we need a mandate for all healthcare workers to be trained in mental health. AFSP has allowed me to advocate for that change. I was part of the implementation of our new 988 crisis hotline number for suicide prevention. Since then, I have gone on to create my own nonprofit 501 (c)3 during the start of Covid, Remember Me NFP, located in Pinellas County, Florida. We create programs that help to educate about suicide, decrease the stigma of suicide, and raise awareness for suicide prevention with mentorship. We also accommodate community service hours for anyone who might need it.
My Journey
It was with a collaborative effort of listening to your stories along with what I have learned and discovered what we need in our community that I have come to the belief that we need ongoing peer-to-peer support groups with like-minded people for daily support. Our volunteers are suicide survivors, hospital personnel, and area athletes.
Our current programs are; Paddle 4 Suicide Prevention -a 2-3 hour peer-to-peer program paddle boarding with a guide through mangroves and area beaches for physical and mental health education (up to 15 people) and Gizmo’s Pawesome Guide for Mental Health-for families or caregivers ages 2-12. A 45 min class that promotes literacy and music combined that establishes a mental health pledge with education on mental health, thoughts, and feelings. This is currently held at the Largo Library.
We are a support group that offers events and programs with education and referrals to like-minded people that address mental health issues, and we distribute Suicide Prevention swag-bags to the public for help and guidance. We are also currently a free Narcan distributor for Opioids Drug overdose with education and Registered with Bright Futures for community service with the Pinellas County Schools system. Stop by our tent and see us at and see us at various festivals and events.
Remember Me NFP

These programs are scaled with the guidance of Nannette Prevost
• 37 years Surgery RN,
• Widow to suicide
• AFSP State Facilitator of Talk Saves Lives
• NAMI Certified Family to Family Peer Specialist
• NAMI Mental Health Recovery & Wellness Recovery Action Plan(WRAP)
• Certified Adaptive Sports Abuse Prevention Trainer with the Christopher Reeve Foundation
• Certified National Council for Behavioral Health First Aid in Adult & Youth
• Certified Prenatal Fitness Instructor
• Certified JWB Evidence-Base Skills to Motivate Clients Toward Change.

I think what separates me from others is I have been creating innovative programs for the community for years but never for suicide prevention. Now as a lived-experience, my recent accomplishment is that I recorded a song with a famous music artist named Maryann Harmon on Music with Mar. The album is called Songs for Everyone and is now International, available on Spotify and Amazon Music. The song I’m singing with Mar is called Paws Up For Mental Health, which follows a story I read for children addressing mental health. Half the proceeds are donated to Remember Me NFP, INC. I’m also a well-known paddle board racer in the area.
My lesson with Covid I learned was that, as a society, it played with our mental health badly. It increased depression and suicide ideation in all ages. Our United States Surgeon General Report states that suicide and drug overdose deaths have risen dramatically due to community isolation and loneliness.
Contact:
• If you, or someone you know is in crisis CALL 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
We are available every second and fourth Saturday of each month from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and Monday & Tuesday 8:00 am to 6;00 PM our number is 727-688-4544.

Please come out to relax and have fun with us on Indian Rocks Beach the second and fourth Saturday every month. Check us out on social media or give us a call to set up a free class from our programs or mentoring sessions. See us at various festivals around town. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
• Website programsforsuicdeprevention.com
• Instagram Nan Prevost Remember Me NP
• Facebook Remember Me NFP
• Twitter Remember Me NFP, INC
• Youtube Nannette Prevost

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Since I live close to one of the most beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, I ended up experimenting with water therapy in general and paddle boarding. I found I could release my negative thoughts using nature. Water was very calming to me, and it was a place for me to cry by myself and gather my thoughts. I would paddle board sometimes 6 miles a day. I went on from there to hold the title as one of the fastest paddle board racers in West Florida. I am sponsored for that by Watersport West in Largo, Florida. I figured if paddle boarding helped me, it could help anyone else who is struggling and help raise awareness. That’s when I came across the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP), especially the Out of the Darkness program where I found healing and realized I was not alone. When I read the brochure they produce, Talk Saves Lives, it changed my life forever. In it they describe the warning signs & symptoms of failing mental health. I recognized multiple signs on many pages which my husband had been suffering from. How could I NOT have known this being a healthcare worker?
I realized that I had lost my husband to stigma and lack of education. I feel strongly that we need a mandate for all healthcare workers to be trained in mental health. AFSP has allowed me to advocate for that change. I was part of the implementation of our new 988 crisis hotline number for suicide prevention. Since then, I have gone on to create my own nonprofit 501 (c)3 during the start of Covid, Remember Me NFP, located in Pinellas County, Florida. We create programs that help to educate about suicide, decrease the stigma of suicide, and raise awareness for suicide prevention with mentorship. We also accommodate community service hours for anyone who might need it.
My Journey
It was with a collaborative effort of listening to your stories along with what I have learned and discovered what we need in our community that I have come to the belief that we need ongoing peer-to-peer support groups with like-minded people for daily support. Our volunteers are suicide survivors, hospital personnel, and area athletes.
Our current programs are; Paddle 4 Suicide Prevention -a 2-3 hour peer-to-peer program paddle boarding with a guide through mangroves and area beaches for physical and mental health education (up to 15 people) and Gizmo’s Pawesome Guide for Mental Health-for families or caregivers ages 2-12. A 45 min class that promotes literacy and music combined that establishes a mental health pledge with education on mental health, thoughts, and feelings. This is currently held at the Largo Library.
We are a support group that offers events and programs with education and referrals to like-minded people that address mental health issues, and we distribute Suicide Prevention swag-bags to the public for help and guidance. We are also currently a free Narcan distributor for Opioids Drug overdose with education and Registered with Bright Futures for community service with the Pinellas County Schools system. Stop by our tent and see us at and see us at various festivals Remember Me NFP

These programs are scaled with the guidance of Nannette Prevost
• 37 years Surgery RN,
• Widow to suicide
• AFSP State Facilitator of Talk Saves Lives
• NAMI Certified Family to Family Peer Specialist
• NAMI Mental Health Recovery & Wellness Recovery Action Plan(WRAP)
• Certified Adaptive Sports Abuse Prevention Trainer with the Christopher Reeve Foundation
• Certified National Council for Behavioral Health First Aid in Adult & Youth
• Certified Prenatal Fitness Instructor
• Certified JWB Evidence-Base Skills to Motivate Clients Toward Change.

I think what separates me from others is I have been creating innovative programs for the community for years but never for suicide prevention. Now as a lived-experience, my recent accomplishment is that I recorded a song with a famous music artist named Maryann Harmon on Music with Mar. The album is called Songs for Everyone and is now International, available on Spotify and Amazon Music. The song I’m singing with Mar is called Paws Up For Mental Health, which follows a story I read for children addressing mental health. Half the proceeds are donated to Remember Me NFP, INC. I’m also a well-known paddle board racer in the area.
My lesson with Covid I learned was that, as a society, it played with our mental health badly. It increased depression and suicide ideation in all ages. Our United States Surgeon General Report states that suicide and drug overdose deaths have risen dramatically due to community isolation and loneliness.
Contact:
• If you, or someone you know is in crisis CALL 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
We are available every second and fourth Saturday of each month from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and Monday & Tuesday 8:00 am to 6;00 PM our number is 727-688-4544.

Please come out to relax and have fun with us on Indian Rocks Beach the second and fourth Saturday every month. Check us out on social media or give us a call to set up a free class from our programs or mentoring sessions. See us at various festivals around town. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
• Website programsforsuicdeprevention.com
• Instagram Nan Prevost Remember Me NP
• Facebook Remember Me NFP
• Twitter Remember Me NFP, INC
• Youtube Nannette Prevost
Paddle for Suicide Prevention – Remember Me NFP
Program Details: We launch at various sites. Indian Rocks Beach -1600 Gulf Blvd Public Beach, Getaway-13090 Gandy Blvd N, St. Petersburg, Fl 33702, big groups at Indian Rocks beach. No alcohol is permitted on tour. We will not launch in unsafe weather.
Allow 15 min to sign liability waiver, learn about paddle boarding, and water safety, learn about Talk Saves Lives brochure. Program is for 12 and older. Under 12 must accompany an adult.
Come dressed for the beach and have water shoes. Bring your own water, hat, sunscreen.
All equipment is provided.
We paddle board on the Megalodon which is 15 feet long and 5 feet wide. It holds up to 5 adults.
We have 3 boards. In addition to our boards, we have 2 large floating lily pads with anchors at a sandbar for the people who just want to float.

• 2-hour support group that offers intro to paddling boarding, mental health education, and guidance to mental health agencies in Pinellas County
• Paddle for Prevention addresses mental health issues and provides healing using water and nature therapy with mentorship for individuals and families.
• A way to connect with others for support by collaborating with local mental health first aiders, first responders, survivors of suicide, and area athletes.
• Water therapy is intended to relieve anxiety, works towards trust, confidence, and courage.
• Each participant receives a Suicide Swag Bag with several mental health resources such as a Safety Plan Template and “Talk Saves Lives” brochure and Narcan with education as needed.
• WE will launch at Indian Rocks Beach in large groups. Overflow parking with a donation only at Calvary Episcopal Church-1615 1st St, Indian Rocks Beach

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My qualities: I grew up in a divorced family at age 5. When you’re raised from a family with both parents then to a single household , the outcome is never good. Unless it is abuse of some kind. There never seems to be enough money and there is a lack of parenting. I felt I had to raise myself or was raised by my friends families. Having both parents brings so much to a child. It was with sports that I was able to rise above depression. I threw myself mentally into being the best I could be and prove to myself and others in sports I could be something, and I did. For all the people that have helped me through mentorship, my way to give back was to be a nurse. I have been nursing as a surgical nurse for 37 years. I have become street smart as a young child and through all the hardships have learned something and was able to make something positive out of it to help others. I have created programs in 3 different states helping families for the past 24 years. I have made several magazine feature articles , TV commercials for hospitals and have been innovative because of you, the public looking for help or answers. My life skills are from mentorships I found and my academic skills are from Nursing. I have been trained by some of the most Brillant surgeons around including Malcolm Field Neuro Surgeon from St. Mary’s of Michigan. He was the surgeon that trained me that was the surgeon on call for President JFK. He was also the on call for other Presidents visiting Michigan.

My father was a musician and I got to go on a tour bus through Michigan and Canada. I grew up around music and since become a music entertainer for children for mental health using literacy , music, puppets and dance for ages 6mo to 12. My class is called Paws Up for Mental Health which is now on a CD with Maryann Harmon.

As we move forward I had to overcome another life disaster of losing my husband to suicide after 16 years of marriage. Becoming a widow raising our 2 sons at age 42 is the hardest to swallow. It effects so many people in your life. Mentally and financially. There are so many things we need to change. We need Mental Health Reform! Lack of education to recognize failing mental health, what to do for it and where to go for help. We are too quick to judge and labeling people is the last thing we need. Mental health drugs are addictive in as little as 2 weeks and are very hard to come off of. They are there to maintain you , not cure you. In my husband’s case , they took his life and I say that because of a suicide letter he had left talking about the struggle. His toxicology report showed 3 mental health drugs in his blood and nothing else. I have been an advocate ever since. My advice for anyone today is: Be grateful for what you have. Earn your keep to support yourself, be empathetic to those around you, don’t worry about other people’s opinion , and Talking Saves Lives. Ask yourself What would Jesus Do? Be a mentor.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
My challenge today is seeing all the suicides and drug overdoses happening with our Youth. WE need mental health reform. There is no definitive mental health drug that will solve your problem or cure you, and they are conditioning you to act and feel a certain way. They come with a price overtime. Very hard to go off of. We need to look at toxicology reports. More transparency is needed. HIPPA -laws wont help save you! Your friends and family need to know what is happing to you to help. I offer free Narcan with education in my nonprofit for drug overdoses. We offer free support groups for families and children in water therapy: Paddle4Prevention and Paws Up for Mental Health-music and literacy for mental health for ages 6 months to 12 years of age.

Challenging the IRS to put families from a suicide loss that gets social security with children up to age 18 to a disability plan. This has been my largest challenge. It hinders you to work part time like a retiree., You have to pay for healthcare benefits which is expensive if not fulltime among other things to sustain a family. You can’t make much money or you have to pay them back 2 dollars to every 1 dollar. Families afterwards are affected for life.
Educate, Educate for Mental Health

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Image Credits
John Grande

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