State launches new program of education, support, advocacy
Suicides in Vermont are at a 25-year high, and state health officials have issued a call to action for Vermonters to be partners in bending this curve. To help make this happen, the Vermont Department of Health and Department of Mental Health have launched “Facing Suicide VT”, a statewide prevention effort funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facing Suicide VT provides access to suicide prevention education, support, and advocacy resources.
This initiative features a comprehensive website, FacingSuicideVT.com. The site provides information and resources about how to get help for people struggling or in crisis. The website also features information about how to give help – including tips for having conversations about suicide. People can also see stories of hope and recovery from Vermonters who have personal experience with suicide and mental health challenges.
Suicide can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in Vermont, and the second leading cause of death among people in Vermont ages 15 to 34. In 2021, there were 142 suicide deaths among Vermont residents, the highest number and rate of suicide deaths recorded in the state.
“Suicide is a significant and complex public health concern that impacts every community in Vermont and across the nation,” said Nick Nichols, coordinator of the Health Department’s Suicide Prevention Program. “COVID-19 exacerbated the risk factors for many Vermonters, including isolation, financial and job insecurities, illness, and difficulties accessing services during the peak of the pandemic. Our work is focused on making sure suicide prevention happens at multiple levels – individual, interpersonal, community and societal. We all play an important role in reducing the risk of suicide for fellow Vermonters,” Nichols said.
FacingSuicideVT.com also features resources specific for Vermonters at higher risk of suicide – including people who are LGBTQ+, Vermonters with a disability, those who live in rural areas, males, first responders, service members and veterans.
Higher risk also includes ready access to firearms by people in crisis. In Vermont, most deaths involving firearms are due to suicide. A suicide attempt with a firearm is more likely to be fatal than most other means. Understanding the warning signs and putting space between a gun and a person having thoughts of suicide or harming themselves is essential. Facing Suicide VT offers resources that explain the importance of safely storing firearms and ammunition.
Department of Mental Health Deputy Commissioner Alison Krompf said Facing Suicide VT provides both lived experience and professional perspectives on how to support individuals and their loved ones when someone is experiencing mental health challenges. “Having these resources in one, easily accessible place can encourage conversations about suicide,” said Krompf. “This leads to reducing the stigma associated with mental health concerns, and most importantly, can help save lives.”
“By learning to recognize warning signs in others, making the connections and having meaningful conversations with the people we care about in times of crisis, we can make the single most important difference in someone’s life,” said Nichols.
Learn more about the Facing Suicide VT initiative and how to get involved at FacingSuicideVT.com
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or text VT to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Trained counselors are available 24/7.
If you are concerned about your or a loved one’s safety or need emergency medical services, call 9-1-1.
Categories: State Government
Perhaps the direction VT is headed isn’t mentally healthy for it’s residents? Leftism, being the most unchurched state, wokeism, a climate of victimhood, drugs, unbridled LBGTQ, abortion etc is only creating sad, lonely and confused people. We׳re losing our strong community connections.
Sadly the left will just say this means we need to get rid of guns and encourage more people to become LBGTQ.
Hegelian problem solution going on here… the past two inhumane year of pitting Vermonters against Vermonters kowtowing to the Agenda 2030 initiatives to bring us into in an IOT AI driven world, and remove humanity as we are the cooties on the planet causing all the problems (IPCC report, 2014), welp…there goes your human connection, neighbor treating neighbor as themselves, and there goes collaboration, cooperation, contribution and helping each other out…at a human level.
Socialism and communism can never replace humanity…but here we are.
Utterly DEPENDENT now on resources that come from outside the State…and if we object, we are enemies of the state…go figure.
Qui bono?
Wonder how this compares to the rate of prescribed ant anxiety and anti depressants pushed by the same people that produced your beloved mrna shots?
Interesting isn’t it….here is what we have sewn…..
1) Millions and millions poured into “social” programs…..universal free school meals, voluminous after school and summer programming for kids; generous unemployment and welfare and health subsidy benefits, and housing programs, climate “justice” and initiatives to the extreme for low income, and BIPOC this n that.
2) Reduced law enforcement funding; adding law enforcement “mediators” and therapizers; deleting school resource officers; establishing scads of “equity committees; considering no more qualified immunity.
3) Mushrooming of “non-profits” (many of which are “profits” in disguise and are also funded by….yes….by state funds) catering to every sort of special cause, interest and crusade….most of which are redundant of state social and human services programming.
4) Enormous cultural emphasis on “equity” especially with focus on ‘PRIDE” and “checking your privilege”. Sorry…just the facts.
5) Legalized weed accompanied with much celebration and hoop-de-la. Fortune-seeking weed growers, weed businesses, web sites, consultants and lawyers, etc. racing to hitch themselves up to the weed feed bag.
And we now reap…..
1) Exploding rates of gun violence, and all manner of horrid and bizarre violence. Murders.
2) Huge continuing fentanyl / opioids scourge. Lives ruined and lost. Many. many criminal acts (property crimes, catalytic converter thefts, weapons crimes) and arrests featuring druggies and dealers.
3) Traffic fatalities at record rates. All manner of bizarre bad behavior on roadways….wrong ways, head-ons, atv crunch-outs, and more.
4) Severe difficulty statewide in attracting / retaining qualified and capable educators, law enforcement.
5) Suicides at record rates (likely a reflection of enormous increases in rates of depression and mental health difficulties).
6) Skyrocketing inability of regular folks to afford housing. Along with growing presence of homeless people in many places especially Chittenden County.
And on and on and on.
How’s that workin’ for ya, folks? Oh yeah…and a reminder…..be sure to vote for Becca, Peter, Phil and David and your local prog / democrat candidate for the legislature in a few weeks. Just saying.
Excellent summation, especially #3 which has been a pet peeve of mine as I see so many of our local politicians set up their own non-profits, which effectively launder donations and grants into board of director and employee salaries, tax free at the expense of the real hardworking businesses and taxpayers. Our own local legislator took advantage of this scam by selling most of his land for town, state and federal money, for recreation and “environmental conservation”. But the forming committee in which I served was stacked with its club members, and they limited the uses to basically the same as it was when it was run as a private recreational center…so no real public benefit. He still lives there and conveniently kept the most valuable/developable land closest to municipal water/sewer.
it is unreal how “common sense” has about disappeared from our political parties, and how assignment to committees is rampant to avoid “blame” when it all goes to hell in a handbasket. the basket is damn near full….VOTE for not a party, but for those who you know will make or attempt to straighten this situation out……from Jan 21 to today…….unbelievable how much damage has been done…….
No one individual candidate can take on the party ideological machine. Voting for the one who says or promises to correct all the ills of society is just not hot air. We know what party philosophy has brought us to this point and it isn’t the republicans. We have to vote for the party that will change this, not the individual, the party. The republican party platform corrects much of what we see now, however voting for RINOs will change nothing either. The Governor claims to be a republican but voted for Joe Biden, a life long government teat sucker and possibly a life long criminal with ties to his son’s criminal world affairs. What kind of judgement is displayed by his act and he claimed he did it for the good of America! We need to change control of the state by changing those who have allowed all of this to take place. The Covid truths are coming to light and they aren’t good for those who led us down the wrong path of lock downs, forcing experimental drugs on the population, and the unconstitutional acts to make people comply. We must vote to never let this happen again and those who are exposed through the truth that were paid, bought off, censored the truth and lied must be brought to justice. Karma is waiting for those politicians, lawyers, doctors and the press and their days will not be good. Progressives have failed and the results are in, we are living it now.
Guy Page’s readers are so intelligent and informed. I’m proud of all that have commented here. Ya’ll are spot on! Fascism always comes from the left and no amount of propaganda on mainstream media is going to change that fact. Italy just elected a female Trumpster. The lines are drawn. Prosper by electing populous candidates or commit suicide by electing pro climate, pro trans, pro entitlements candidates which are 90% of the Vermont incumbents.
“Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway, don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled
‘Cause the battle outside ragin’
Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times, they are a-changin’ ”
Remember, remember the 8th of November!