Wood River YMCA
5B~5Signs
September 29, 2019
The 5B Suicide Prevention Alliance is offering “Know the Five Signs” presentations throughout the Wood River Valley to educate the community on recognizing the signs of emotional suffering and how to connect people to resources.
The 5B Suicide Prevention Alliance is comprised of Blaine County citizens and organizations working to prevent suicide and to build a culture of awareness, understanding, acceptance, and action around our community’s mental well-being.
These approximately 45-minute presentations are designed to build the community’s understanding of the many ways that suicide impacts our friends, families, clients, co-workers, and neighbors.
According to changedirection.org, we are at a crossroads when it comes to how our society addresses mental health:
“We know that one in five of our citizens has a diagnosable mental health condition, and that more Americans are expected to die this year by suicide than in car accidents. While many of us are comfortable acknowledging publicly our physical suffering, for which we almost always seek help, many more of us privately experience mental suffering, for which we almost never reach out.”
“The training was both meaningful and useful,” said Mary Williams, director of Healthy Living at the Wood River Community YMCA. “Having open dialogue about this issue helps us recognize and assist our colleagues and members who might be struggling with their mental health. I wholeheartedly recommend this training to other community businesses and nonprofits.”
For more information, visit https://nami-wrv.org/5balliance/. Or contact Erin Pfaeffle at 208-727-8734 or pfaeffle@slhs.org or Laurie Strand at 208-578-5443… lstrand@blaineschools.org.