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Suicide Prevention Day allowed people to learn about the signs and prevention of suicide.
CARES (Community Assistance Resources Emergency Services), along with community partners Fellowship Missions, Allendale Treatment, Bowen Health and the Kosciusko County LOSS (Local Outreach for Suicide Survivors) Team, put on the event Wednesday at The Gathering Place, 123 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw.
Mikaela Bixler, community resource specialist with CARES, said there were two Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training sessions: a lunch and learn and a training dinner. During the sessions, people were able to learn about the signs of suicide and how to have a conversation with someone and ask them if they are considering suicide and connecting that person with resources they might need.
Between the lunch and learn and the dinner, there was also an open house where people could come in and “we have some resources available about mental health and suicide prevention, but also resources for someone who maybe lost a loved one to suicide and is coping with that,” she said.
There were some take home hope kits for people, a remembrance table where people could bring a copy of a photo of a loved one to be included in a space for remembrance and reflection and a hope wall where community members could share messages of hope, strength and encouragement.
This is the first year that Suicide Prevention Day has taken place in Kosciusko County.
Bixler said the purpose of Suicide Prevention Day was to get people talking about suicide and suicide prevention, “but also offer just offer a safe place to come whether they’re looking for resources or just want to be around people or maybe they’ve lost a loved one, to honor them.”
All of the organizations involved work in the community and see people struggling with thoughts of suicide often. The organizations are also part of the Suicide and Overdose Fatality Review team that looks at past suicides and how they can prevent suicides.
“So this is just a simple event we thought we could offer,” she said.
The event was planned in recognition of Suicide Prevention Month, which is September.
Bixler said she thought Wednesday’s event went well. They had some really good conversations with people about the signs of suicide and how they can move forward and connect with people more. She thought there were 12 people signed up for the two training sessions and were happy to engage anyone in discussion about suicide.
“If we train one person, they can go off” and help others, she said.
With Wednesday’s event, she hoped people would know it’s OK to talk about mental health and suicide and “we’re all human and connect with each other.”
