The Bartlesville City Council on Tuesday proclaimed Sept. 3-9 Suicide Prevention Week in conjunction with the Washington County Suicide Prevention Coalition’s 2017 awareness summit, set for Thursday.
Guest speakers will present information during morning and afternoon sessions on Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Bartlesville Community Center, 300 SE Adams Blvd.
Speakers for the event include Bartlesville Police Department Detective Jim Warring licensed psychotherapist Stuart Smith and area resident Kym Puga. The evening session is free to the public. To register or for more information, visit www.wcamh.org.
According to WCSPC, suicide is one of the most disruptive and tragic events a family and community can experience and is the second leading cause of death of young adults in Washington County and the second leading cause of death worldwide among 15-19 year olds. At least 100,000 adolescents die by suicide every year, while approximately 1 million people worldwide die by suicide each year, which is one death by suicide every 40 seconds.
The Washington County Suicide Prevention Coalition is a grassroots collaboration working to eliminate the stigma of suicide, educate the community about the warning signs of suicide and ultimately reduce the rate of suicide in our community.
For more information, see the WCSPC Facebook page or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. For help, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).