Thank you for participating in this Community Consultation for the Centre for Suicide Prevention’s Respite Centre Pilot Project. Your participation adds valuable information about your community that will help inform the selection of the pilot location. Currently there are four potential locations, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Red Deer and Medicine Hat. At this point, funding is available for one pilot site.

Anyone is welcome to participate in the community consultation. Our goal is to hear from a diverse group of people including those who have experience in and with the mental health system, those who work in community agencies, who are engaged in the local municipality, who own and operate local businesses, and who live and work in the community. Many participants will fit into more than one category and will therefore be able to provide perspective from multiple lenses. Below is a more detailed list of who may be participating in the Community Consultation.

• Representatives from the mental health system: doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, crisis team members, detox center and addictions staff, outreach workers
• People who have experienced mental health and/or suicide crisis personally
• People who have lost a loved one to suicide, or support a loved one who experiences ongoing mental health and/or suicide crisis
• Elected officials: local, provincial and federal
• City employees
• Business community
• Individuals and families living in the community

In preparation for the Community Consultation, a Respite Centre Backgrounder including the discussion questions have been prepared for your reference. Click HERE to access these pre-meeting materials. We hope to make the time we have with you as productive and informative as possible; your preparation will help facilitate that.

Questions? Please contact our Project Coordinator, Hannah Ratz at [email protected] or 403-254-3900 ext. 236. We look forward to seeing you!