Determined to reduce risk and promote healing for families of suicide, Tri-Town Youth Services (TTYS) will be hosting several meetings this fall for its tri-town Suicide Prevention Task Force.

The Task Force is a cross-sector group that is charged with reviewing and deploying the responsibilities of the State Suicide Prevention Plan developed and administered by the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board. The sole state-level advisory board in the state, the organization is currently engaged in a five-year-mission, beginning in September 2020, to organize, address, and establish suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention efforts across the state for all age groups, ultimately to greatly reduce the risk of suicide and instill hope in those suffering from ideation.

The Task Force, which comprises of various key stakeholders, including law enforcement officials, first responders, school staff, and mental health providers, will look to uphold the Advisory Board’s mission through training sessions on Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) techniques in identifying warning signs of a suicide crisis and postvention.

The Task Force’s first meeting will be held virtually over Zoom on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

The tri-town prevention group was formed last year, with an operation based on the strategic framework of a drug-free communities grant that was given to TTYS for a 10-year period, which was meant to assist the agency in its focus on reducing adolescent marijuana, vape, and alcohol usage, according to Allison Abramson of TTYS.

The framework and the lessons learned in addressing prevention efforts were then applied to other health issues in the community, including the Task Force in promoting and engaging in suicide intervention. Other key stakeholders that are part of the effort include tri-town youth and parents of the community, municipal officials, and employees.

“We have members of the community who care an awful lot about this issue and want to bring resources to the community to keep people safe, and for all of us to learn how to intervene if we are concerned about someone in our life,” said Abramson.

Over this past summer, the task force saw three of its members complete a QPR Instructor Training course. Those three members include a social worker at Valley Regional High School; Melissa Keilty, program director of Prevention and Wellness at TTYS; and Kimberly Taylor of local non-profit A Little Compassion. Through their teaching, interested community members can learn about QPR communication and action techniques that are part of life-saving suicide prevention strategies. According to Abramson, the task force will be identifying key partners at locations suitable for hosting these sessions, which will be a main item on the agenda of the group’s first meeting.

The tfask Force is also looking to lay the groundwork for postvention training at their first meeting, which is geared particularly towards stakeholders who are directly involved in crisis management, such as first responders, police officers, and personnel from the Connecticut River Area Health District. Postvention training will play a significant role in understanding the appropriate response for if a suicide is reported in the area, which can bolstered through the education of multiple, collaborative groups.

“By training together, we can better define what everyone’s roles are and ensure that we are giving appropriate attention to each of the areas that need support for families and friends who’ve been impacted,” said Abramson. “Support for first responders or staff or personnel who have been impacted by a loss or a crisis.”

According to Abramson, the development of a comprehensive post-crisis plan and postvention training are among two of TTYS’ biggest goals

All three resident state troopers in Chester, Deep River, and Essex are members of the task force, taking an active role in the development of postvention training and its accompanying plan for the other key stakeholders. According to Abramson, their cooperative membership and participation in the process facilitates the strengthening of the stakeholder network and their collective response to a loss or crisis.

Happening concurrently with task force sessions will be QPR and Narcan training sessions hosted by the non-profit Supporting and Engaging Resources for Action and Chance (SERAC), which TTYS will be promoting throughout the season. SERAC helps towns in southeastern Connecticut reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental health-related issues such as suicide prevention, among other advocacies. Interested persons can learn through virtual or in-person sessions how to administer the medicine Narcan, which works to reverse the effects of opioids in a person who has overdosed on the kind of drug. Those who take part in the program will also be educated on recognizing warning signs of suicide and how to carefully handle the state of a person who is considering self-harm or ending their life.

“We want people in our community to have the opportunity to access these trainings, especially when they are virtual. It makes it so much more convenient for folks,” said Abramson.

Tri-town residents are welcome to attend SERAC sessions for additional training in suicide prevention and intervention. For more information about the task force or QPR training, call 860-526-3600 or visit tritownys.org.