Engaging
Lafayette County Residents in Suicide Prevention
What is being done?
The first discussion
session was held on April 23rd. Fifteen people representing schools,
agencies, law enforcement, the faith community and the general
public attended the session hosted by UW-Extension.
The group is now called the CSI
Task Force. Their mission and goals are listed below:
The
mission of the CSI Task Force is to create a support
network in Lafayette County so that anyone who suffers from mental
illness or the despair of situational depression will be assured
of a prompt, compassionate and confidential response from professionals
and community members.
The
CSI Task Force Goals:
-
To increase public awareness of suicide issues in Lafayette
County.
-
To educate the public about issues related to suicide including:
incidences, warning signs and where to go for help.
-
To eliminate the myths, stigma and stereotypes associated
with mental health and suicide issues.
-
To increase the accessibility to prompt, compassionate and
confidential services.
-
To enhance and increase accessibility to support services
for those impacted by suicide.
Why is this an issue?
The 2002 Lafayette County
Community Health Needs Assessment found that the county's death
rate due to suicide was 18.5 per 100,000 from 1995-1999.
This compared with a state rate of 11.5. The 2001 TAP survey
found that 284 of 1507 Lafayette County students in grades 7-12
had thought about killing themselves in the month previous to
the survey. That same survey found that 14% of all students
had made a plan to kill themselves at some point in their lives
and 9% of students reported actually attempting suicide during
their lives. More recent suicides in nearby counties were
mentioned with concern in the recent Lafayette County UWEX needs
survey.
If
you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide
Hotline at 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
In
Lafayette County Contact Lafayette County Human Services at 608-776-4800
or in an emergency contact the 608-776-4848
Return
to the CSI task force home page
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