Organization highlights importance of mental health after Bon Jovi helps save woman from bridge
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — After music legend Jon Bon Jovi helped a woman in crisis on Nashville’s Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, mental health advocates have pointed to the important of reaching out to someone in need.
Bon Jovi was shooting a music video for his new album in downtown Nashville on Tuesday.
VIDEO: Jon Bon Jovi helps save woman trying to jump from bridge in downtown Nashville
The star noticed a woman standing on the ledge of the pedestrian bridge. He slowly approached her and talked her back over the railing. Police said that he makes sure she got help.
“I think it’s awesome that somebody like that would take a pause in what they were doing,” Shane Speck with Volunteer Behavioral Health said. “He was there for a different reason, but he took a pause in that to go step into someone else’s moment.”
Speck added that the organization is grateful for increased awareness around mental health. Haylee McPherson Bush, a caregiver with the Murfreesboro facility, said that she sees people in crisis everyday.
“We can easily be in that position at any moment,” Haylee said. “All it takes is one event. One text — one anything and we could be in that spot. I think it’s very humbling to realize that.”
It’s a cause that Haylee said she and the organization are passionate about.
“We realize that access to care is really big for the population we serve, which is the underserved,” Haylee said. “When they need help and they ask for it, they need it right then. They don’t need to wait several weeks for an appointment.”
In appreciation, the organization wore shirts Friday honoring Bon Jovi for his compassion.
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“To have anybody that would stop in the midst of what they’re doing to recognize someone else’s pain and to be willing to say, ‘Hey, step back for a moment,'” Speck told News 2. “That, to me, is what really stood out.”
If you or someone you know are dealing with suicidal thoughts, calling 988 is a great tool for help. Bon Jovi’s team said that he did not want to comment on this.
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