Where We’ve Been
The Marathon County Suicide Prevention Task Force is a work group of interested community members from organizations and agencies including Public Health, Law Enforcement, Social Services, Public Schools, Aging & Disabilities Resource Center, Survivor Support Group, Medical Examiner’s Office, Hospitals and North Central Health Care.
The Task Force was started in early 2003 as a result of concerns about suicide expressed by different community agencies including Marathon County Medical Examiner, 2003-2005 Marathon County Community Health Assessment and North Central Health Care Emergency Services Advisory Committee. The Task Force originally met quarterly and now meets bi-monthly.
Suicide is recognized as a public health issue. The Task Force works toward developing and implementing strategies that would prevent suicides in Marathon County with goals to provide resources for community education, improving access to services and helping community members with early identification of risk factors for suicide.
With assistance from grants, accomplishments include:
- Implementation of the QPR (Question Persuade, Refer) program training to over 5000 local residents to recognize the signs of suicide and how to refer people suffering depression or suicidal thoughts to get help. One master trainer and over 20 presenters were trained to give presentations. QPR materials were also translated to the Hmong language.
- Suicide review committee was created to review all Marathon County suicides for patterns and identify areas we can impact to prevent suicides.
- Distribution of suicide prevention brochures & literature in three languages.
- Distribution of SOS (Signs of Suicide) curriculum to 13 schools.
- Provided educational presentations to thousands of school age kids through Drug Awareness Day.
- Sponsored 14 suicide prevention billboards in Marathon County
- Established a part time grant coordinator through the Marathon County Health Department to work with schools in development of safety response plans and implementation of depression/suicide identification curriculum.
- Sponsored a Grand Rounds speaker for physicians featuring national expert, Dr. David Mays.
- Sponsored public speaker Eric Hipple, former Detroit Lions Quarterback, Mental Health & Suicide.
- Distribution of thousands of promotional items with suicide hotline number.
