Western Wayne County took a major step forward when it comes to Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness. Over a week long period, the Western Wayne Suicide Prevention Coalition hosted five events to bring training, resources, keynote speakers and community partners together to support those on the front lines. On November 8th, more than 200 individuals were trained in QPR at the St. John’s Resort in Plymouth. The purpose of this training is to help save lives and ensure that all members of the community can recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone for help. The group was a representation of area school districts and included staff from food service, transportation, aides and para-professionals, hall monitors, school resource officers, as well as members of the board and administration, with the goal of providing training to everyone who interacts with students throughout their day. At Schoolcraft College in Livonia, more than 200 school social workers, counselors, psychologists, behavioral health specialists and community members participated in a Mental Health Conference with break out sessions hosted by community partners and a community resource fair. This all-day event was designed with school mental health care teams in mind and offered CE’s and SCECH’s for credit toward various forms of licensure.
In addition to these events, the Coalition hosted three Family Matters parent series events with keynote speaker Matt Emerzian, from Every Monday Matters, about the importance of why they matter. Our families are essential to the growth and well-being of our youth, when we create strong connections and sustain relationships within our families, our youth thrive emotionally, socially, and academically. These events reached more than 70 community members and brought a lot of laughs to the Penn Theatre in Plymouth, the Redford Township District library, and Westland’s John Glenn High School.
We would like to give special recognition to our financial sponsors including Community Financial, Envision Healthcare, Gordon Advisors, Healthy Livonia, Kiwanis Club of Plymouth, Michigan Educational Credit Union, Redford Commission on Youth and Families, Schoolcraft College, and the South Redford School District. We would also like to thank our presenting sponsoring including DWIHN, Hegira Health, Lincoln Behavioral Services, New Hope Center for Grief Support, Six Feet Over, SPN Survivors, Trinity Health, and QPR Training Teams. And none of this would have been possible without Syndee Malek and Alice Reinke, the driving force behind all of this incredible work to support our community.
The Western Wayne Suicide Prevention Coalition will continue to collaboratively address youth suicide prevention, support mental health, and aim for zero completed youth suicides within the seven Western Wayne School Districts. Thank you for your support and we look forward to sharing more resources and events with you in the coming months.