Monday, April 22, 2013

Out of the Darkness Community Walk: Harrisonburg

Please join us for . . . .


The 3rd annual AFSP Out of the Darkness Campus Walk

Hosted by Chi Sigma Iota Honor Society
Sunday April 21st, 2013
Check-in/Registration 11:30 AM & Welcome Ceremony 12 noon
Festival Conference & Student Center
Harrisonburg, Virginia

To register, please click on the following link:

http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=2241

This year's walk will again be held on the JMU campus. It will be a great opportunity for us to come together as a community to help increase awareness of suicide risks and warning sings, help people connect to vital resources that can increase their wellbeing, and honor those who have lost loved ones to suicide. Monies donated to AFSP go to help support their suicide prevention programs, support services for survivors of suicide loss, and vital research in the area of suicide prevention and suicide.

We will be looking for volunteers for the following positions: registration, set up, clean up, resource tables, advertising, EMTs/Nurses, and many other positions. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Janice Lewis at lewis2jc@dukes.jmu.edu or contact Sharon Lockaby at locabsd@dukes.jmu.edu.

We hope you will join us in our efforts to help raise awareness and support our community.

New Report: Elder Suicide in Virginia

Greetings,


On behalf of Dr. William T. Gormley, Acting Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia, we are pleased to present a new report from the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System called Elder Suicide in Virginia: 2003-2010. This report, which is an update to a previous report, examines suicide among Virginia residents 60 years of age and older. Highlights include:
  • From 2003-2010 there were 1,595 elder suicide decedents in Virginia.
  • Elder males have a higher risk of suicide than non-elder males.
  • Elder suicide risk is highest in the southwest area and lowest in the northern area.
  • While most elders use a firearm in the fatal suicide, those that used poisons commonly used their own prescription medications. 
  • Mental health problems and physical health problems were the two most common factors in elder suicide.
This report is available at: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/medExam/documents/2013/pdf/Elder%20Suicide%20in%20Virginia%202003%202010.pdf

(Marc Leslie, VVDRS Coordinator)

ASIST: Suicide "First Aid" Training

The Campus Suicide Prevention Center of Virginia, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health, will host the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) program on the following dates.

ASIST is the most widely used intervention skills training in the US. It is a two-day intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize risk for suicide, intervene to prevent immediate harm and link persons at risk to the next level of care.

Just as “CPR” skills make physical first aid possible, ASIST teaches the skills used in suicide prevention first aid.

ASIST is often used by people in a variety of school and community ‘gatekeeper’ or “front line” positions. It is for all caregivers (any person in a position of trust, regardless of the age group served). It is suitable for all school-based student support staff, agency case workers, church youth workers, police/correctional/juvenile justice staff and foster care staff, clergy and all 'natural helpers' who work in the field of human service.

ASIST has been more recently used by ‘gatekeepers’ on college and university campuses. Participants often include advisory and academic counselors, case managers, campus police/security, residence hall directors, campus ministry staff and anyone else who provides direct service to others within the campus community.

Because of the generous support of the Virginia Department of Health's Division of Injury and Violence Prevention, these training will be offered at no cost to participants who work in Virginia, regardless of the age group served. ASIST is typically valued at $250. All training materials will be provided. Meals will be "on your own".

Space is limited to 30 participants per training. Because of the demand for seats, please register only if you are able to attend the full two days, and are not 'on-call' for other duties during that time.

All participants will receive documentation for 14 hours of instruction. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for licensure are available upon request.

2013 Virginia ASIST Trainings*:

May 8-9 at Averett University, Danville,
May 21-22 at Virginia State University, Petersburg
May 21-22 at George Mason University, Fairfax
July 17-18 at Christopher Newport University, Newport News
August 20-21 at James Madison University, Harrisonburg
Sept. 19-20 at Southside Virginia Community College, Keysville
Oct. 10-11 at Germanna Community College, Culpepper
Dec. 5-6 at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, Buena Vista

Registration is on-line at:

http://campussuicidepreventionva.org/eventasist.php