Healthcare providers and family members speak out on importance of suicide prevention activities during National Suicide Prevention Week.
The Nebraska Statewide Suicide Prevention Coalition (NSSPC) received a federal grant through the Department of Health and Human Services last year. The funds are used to increase awareness about the importance of suicide prevention.
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S; one in 12 college students have made a suicide plan and suicide rates remain highest for adults ages 75 and older. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24 in Nebraska.
Dave Miers, Ph.D., manager of BryanLGH Mental Health Services and co-chair of the NSSPC, spoke to audiences on September 8 in the Warner Chamber of the state capitol after Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy proclaimed September 5 - 11 as National Suicide Prevention Week in the State of Nebraska. Miers was joined by members of the NSSPC, military representatives, and family members who have lost loved ones to suicide.
Local television news stations covered the event on Wednesday, September 8. Click here to view more information about the grant. To see one family tell their personal experience of losing their teenage son to suicide and the importance of suicide prevention, click here.
BryanLGH Medical Center offers a confidential online screening to help determine if one is at risk for suicide. Take the online screening by clicking on the Online Depression, Anxiety and Alcohol Screening button at www.bryanlgh.org.
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