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Suicide prevention presentation series planned for Sept. 9

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Depression does not have to be a lonely journey. Suicide rates have been shown to decrease in communities where the suicide prevention presentations have been given. (Press photo by Molly Moser)

By Molly Moser

A series of free suicide prevention presentations will be hosted by Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health on Friday, Sept. 9, to help community members act to reduce the number of suicides. 

Mayor Russ Loven invited a counselor from Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health to present at a Guttenberg Rotary Club meeting earlier this year. “It was well received and we thought this information was important enough to share with the broader public,” said Loven’s wife, Juanita.

“The premise is, ‘Ask a question, save a life.’ The presentation will, hopefully, encourage and enable people to offer hope through positive action,” Loven explained. “Much like CPR or the Heimlich maneuver, Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) is intended to teach those who are in a position to recognize warning signs, clues and suicidal communications of people in trouble and to act vigorously to prevent a possible tragedy. And like CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver, the application of QPR may save a life.”

The first presentation will be held from 9 – 10 a.m. at the Clayton Ridge High School gymnasium and is open to the public as well as students, teachers, and school staff. “The first person contacted was Superintendent Shane Wahls, who readily offered a student/teacher presentation also open to the public,” said Loven. “Kim Gau was on board immediately with a luncheon for employees, including doctors.”  A third presentation, also open to the public, will be held at St. John’s narthex from 2 – 3 p.m. 

“We felt that it would be good to involve a broader sponsorship,” said Loven. Sponsors helping with promotion include GFWC/Iowa Ingleside and Book Clubs, Stephen Ministries, Clayton Ridge Community School District, Clayton Ridge Student Wellness Committee for Youth, GMH Family Resources, GMH & Cornerstone Family Practice, Guttenberg Police Department, Clayton County Substance Abuse, Drug Free Community Grant and Family’s Helping Hands, Rotary Club, churches/pastors, Veteran’s Affairs, and the Guttenberg Public Library. Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health received a grant to offer the free presentations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a report indicating the suicide rate among people working in agriculture, such as farmers, ranchers, farm laborers, fishers and lumber harvesters, ranked the highest among other occupational groups with 84.5 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people. The next highest suicide rates were found among construction and extraction workers, with 53.3 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people, and installation, maintenance and repair occupations with 47.9. By comparison, the lowest suicide rate was among educators, trainers and librarians at 7.5 per 100,000 workers.

"When we do these suicide prevention presentations, we use a program which has been very well researched for many years, and in the communities where it is widely presented, the suicide rates actually go down. So, we are very pleased to be serving our northeast Iowa community in this way," said a representative from Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health. "The program is meant to give information on the signs of suicidal thoughts. If a person sees the signs in another person, the next step is knowing what to say and how to best say it, with the end goal of referring to a resource who can be helpful with addressing the suicidal thoughts. The good news is suicide is preventable. Most people who feel suicidal will only feel that way for a short time, what we call a "suicidal crisis." This crisis usually only lasts a few days to a few weeks, and if the suicidal person can be helped through the crisis period, the person will probably never again be suicidal.  This means a life has been saved."

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