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Suicide bereavement group supports communityFairview Post
September 19, 2022
Priscilla Lalonde, a trainer with the Centre for Suicide Prevention in Calgary, will be facilitating an Indigenous suicide bereavement workshop called Walk With Me at the Peace River Municipal Library on September 22. Lalonde says “There are two aspects to the workshop: thinking about the losses someone has experienced and how someone can help another in the grieving processes. Indigenous history is brought into the workshop as well, as well as intergenerational trauma.” The workshop costs $40 and will run from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Ending the stigma of talking about suicide  – Town and Country Today
September 17, 2022
Angela Kuzyk tragically lost her son to suicide last year. She and her friend Lisa Stocking (who raised over $10,000 for the Centre for Suicide Prevention doing a stand-up paddle board trip in 2021) organized two September 7 sessions at the Nancy Appleby Theatre (in Athabasca). Angela shared her experiences surrounding her son’s death. In addition, Dave MacLeod, a clinical psychologist and trainer with the Centre for Suicide Prevention, spoke about myths surrounding suicide, warning signs to look for, and pertinent facts about suicide in a session called Suicide Awareness: for caregivers.


Suicide awareness collaboration eventFort McMurray Today
September 23, 2022
The Fort McMurray Flyer’s home opener on September 24 against the Dawson Creek Kodiaks will be known as “suit up against suicide.” Attendees will be encouraged to wear purple in support of the non-profit Always Find a Reason to Smile and suicide prevention.

B.C. adds $2M in suicide prevention support and patient careCBC News
September 22, 2022
Sheila Malcolmson, British Columbia’s minister of mental health and addictions, has announced that $2 million in funding has been ear-marked for people at risk of suicide. The funding will be province-wide, providing training and resources for health workers who care for people experiencing mental health crises. Malcolmson said that individuals who are released from psychiatric care are particularly vulnerable to suicide and these resources will go to “improving support during and after crisis (and) will help to build a continuum of mental health and addictions care.”

The proof is in the numbers: 988 will save lives Washington Post
September 21, 2022
An editorial by Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Weslowski notes that since the implementation of the “988” hotline in July 2022 there has been a 45% increase of contacts (via call, text and chat). This was a comparison of contact volume of August 2022 with August 2021. She praises the efforts of call centres in meeting the rise in demand. But she also calls for every community to “build a full continuum of crisis services around 988.” She writes “988 is a huge step forward, but we can’t stop halfway when lives are on the line. With continued investment and focus, 988 can be transformative.”

Workplace help may be key to preventing suicide SHRM
September 21, 2022
An article from the human resources trade journal, SHRM, stressing the potential importance the workplace has in educating employees about suicide. A report by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) shows, though, that few companies provide information or education about suicide, even though the workplace may be the ideal location to reach a large cross-section of people, including those at risk.

‘I don’t hide it’: Former Red Deerian lost both parents to suicideRed Deer Advocate
September 20, 2022
Former resident of Red Deer, Kelli Morris, lost both of her parents to suicide. Her mother died by suicide in 2002 and her father died many years later, in October 2021. Morris believes her dad’s struggles to talk about his feelings and to seek help for his depression and alcoholism contributed to his own death.  She believes it is important to not “hide it” and speak out about suicide and to erode the stigma.

Medical Assistance in Dying option has been removed from SHA’s 811 health-care menuCBC Saskatchewan
September 19, 2022
The Saskatchewan Health Authority has removed Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) as an option on its Healthline 811 menu. Everett Hindley, the minister of mental health, said its removal was because “It does not make sense to greet people with a message that could potentially imply that suicide is an option.” The opposition NDP argues that 811 is a health information service and should have information about MAID.

Long Covid’s link to suicide: Scientist warn of hidden crisisJerusalem Post
September 18, 2022
Scientists from the US National Institutes of Health and Britain’s data collection agency are seeing a potential link between those suffering long COVID and increased cases of depression and suicidal ideation—and a growing number of known suicides. According to the Post, “Long COVID is a complex medical condition that can be hard to diagnose as it has a range of more than 200 symptoms – some of which can resemble other illnesses – from exhaustion and cognitive impairment to pain, fever, and heart palpitations, according to the World Health Organization. ”However, according to Leo Sher, a psychiatrist and authority on suicidal behaviours at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, “I’m sure long COVID is associated with suicidal thoughts, with suicide attempts, with suicide plans and the risk of suicide death. We just don’t have epidemiological data.” The long-term effects of COVID-19 are still “poorly understood, with governments and scientists only now starting to systematically study the area as they emerge from a pandemic that itself blindsided much of the world.”

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