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Monroe Co. Suicide Prevention Coalition To Host Community Conversation On Suicide Prevention

Last updated on Thursday, August 15, 2013

(BLOOMINGTON) - The Monroe County Suicide Prevention Coalition, in collaboration with the Jason Foundation, Inc., is hosting a Community Conversation about suicide prevention from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 22 at the Monroe County YMCA.

The event, "Suicide Prevention: How You Can Help," will bring advocates, citizens, educators and organizations together to discuss the role the entire community plays in preventing and educating people about this silent epidemic.

Statistics suggest that suicide is on the rise across the country, and the increase in Indiana is especially high. Indiana recorded the eighth-highest increase in the nation at 53.8 percent between 1999 and 2010. In 2010, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 867 people lost their lives to suicide.

This event and other initiatives sponsored by the Suicide Prevention Coalition support the organization's goal of training 100 percent of Monroe County educators in suicide prevention curricula in the next 12 months. Educator materials will be provided by the Jason Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization aimed at suicide awareness and prevention.

Membership in the Monroe County Suicide Prevention Coalition is open to service providers, representatives from local communities of faith, law enforcement and other organizations concerned with lowering the suicide rate in our community and reducing the stigma associated with suicide.

The Jason Foundation believes that awareness and education are the first steps to prevention. The organization strives to establish a "triangle of prevention" by giving students, parents and teachers the tools and resources they need to identify and help at-risk youth. This is accomplished through a targeted curriculum for students and informational seminars for teachers and parents.

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