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Statewide Suicide Prevention: A Report on the 13th Annual MCSP State House Event
Monday, 13 February 2012
On Monday, February 6th, 2012, Leah and I, interns here at FFDA, had the privilege of attending the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention’s 13th Annual State House Event. It was our first time at the State House and we were both very excited.
Leah commented that this was an “eye-opening experience—seeing just how many avenues of change are possible when it comes to suicide prevention.” The award recipient organizations ranged from the Silver City Teen Center to the Statewide Advocacy for Veterans’ Empowerment (S.A.V.E.), demonstrating the vast array of people who need suicide prevention services. From adolescents to veterans and everyone in between, Leah and I learned just how important suicide prevention advocacy and funding are in Massachusetts and all over the United States.
While Massachusetts has the highest funding for suicide prevention per capita than any other state, there is still great financial need in order to provide all the services necessary to prevent death by suicide. As award recipient Maura Weir of the Cape Cod Youth Suicide Prevention Group said in her acceptance speech, some people say that one person’s suicide affects 6 people, but in reality it affects so many more. Not only is that person’s family affected, but his or her friends, schoolmates and entire community.
What Leah and I took away from this experience is how vitally important it is to encourage awareness, advocacy and funding for statewide suicide prevention efforts. Suicide is preventable, but only when people have the necessary resources made available to them to get well.
--Hillary Gimpel (featured left), Families for Depression Awareness Intern
