Suicide prevention week in Solano County

September 3, 2014

SOLANO COUNTY – The Board of Supervisors will consider adopting a resolution designating Sept. 7-13, 2014 as "Suicide Prevention Week" in Solano County.  The resolution, presented by the Solano County Health and Social Services, Behavioral Health Division, will be considered on Tues., Sept. 9 at the Board meeting, located at 675 Texas St. in Fairfield.

Solano County lost thirty-eight (38) lives to suicide in 2013.  Nationally, suicide takes the lives of more than 30,000 people every year. These individuals are parents, children, friends, neighbors, and an increasing number of them are soldiers coming home from serving their county abroad.

Suicide Prevention Week is an opportunity for all sectors of the community – the public, charitable organizations, communities, researchers, clinicians, practitioners, politicians and policy makers, volunteers, those bereaved by suicide, other interested groups and individuals – to join together to focus public attention on the unacceptable burden and costs of suicidal behaviors with diverse activities to promote understanding about suicide and highlight effective prevention activities.

Suicide is a major public health problem that often affects the individual's families, friends, and their community. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the latest available statistics show the highest suicide rate (18.6 percent) was among people 45 to 64 years old and the second highest rate (16.9 percent) occurred in those 85 years and older.

The following activities will be hosted throughout Solano County to create awareness of “Suicide Prevention Week,” and honor those lives lost:

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training

The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) will be held on Sept. 8 – 9 at the Solano County Events Center, located at 601 Texas St., Fairfield.  ASIST is a two-day intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize and review risk, and intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. It is by far the most widely used, acclaimed and researched suicide intervention training workshop in the world. The ASIST workshop is for anyone who wants to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide.

Suicide Prevention Committee Booth at Fairfield Farmers Market

In conjunction with the Fairfield Main Street Association, representatives from Solano County’s Suicide Prevention Committee will host an informational booth at the Fairfield Farmers Market in honor of Suicide Prevention Week on Thursday, Sept. 11 from 3 – 7 p.m.

Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk Training

The Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR) training is scheduled for Sept. 12 at the Northbay Healthcare Green Valley Administration Center, located at 4500 Business Center Drive, Fairfield.  AMSR is a one-day training curriculum for mental health professionals. Developed by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), this training is the nation’s only federally supported resource center devoted to advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. SPRC partnered with the American Association of Suicidology and other national suicide prevention experts to establish a set of core competencies for effectively assessing suicide risk, planning treatment, and managing the ongoing care of the at-risk client.

Solano County’s Suicide Prevention Committee meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 9 a.m. at 275 Beck Ave. in Fairfield. The committee, in partnership with American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and NorthBay Healthcare, is currently planning a Survivors of Suicide Day.  Scheduled for Sat., Nov. 22, the event will serve as a day of healing for those who have lost someone to suicide.

For more information about the events mentioned in this release, please contact the Solano County Suicide Prevention Committee at (707) 784-2097 and [email protected].