Lincoln County Public Health is teaming up with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to learn how to combat the growing epidemic of suicide in Montana.
Karl Rosston, DPHHS Suicide Prevention Director, will in Libby from Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, until Saturday, Aug. 26, to present two programs about suicide prevention to Libby Public Schools faculty and to the general public.
The first public session will be held from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Maki Theater in Libby. The course describes the warning signs and impacts of suicide, as well as recent Montana suicide statistics.
In the second public session, Rosston will teach participants how to recognize the warning signs and clues of a person at risk for suicide. He will also teach participants about available resources and how to act in order to help prevent an unnecessary tragedy.
Lincoln County Public Health nurse Riley Black encouraged everyone to register and attend these training sessions.
“Everyone can benefit from this training because having one more person in the community watching out for someone struggling can make all the difference,” she said. “Suicide is silent until it is deadly and is an area of mental health that we (Lincoln County) can no longer ignore and stigmatize. Believing that a problem doesn’t exist does not take the problem away. The best place to start with such an overwhelming crisis is to get yourself educated and involved. Lincoln County Public Health is taking suicide prevention programs seriously and mass involvement from the community and the professionals within it will greatly help our efforts to prevent another death.”
To register for the class or to obtain further information, contact Riley Black, RN, at 406-283-2447.