COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Members of the Jones County’ Suicide Prevention Coalition and Partners in Progress Project looked at the possibilities for September’s Suicide Prevention Month activities at last month’s meeting.
The Aug. 22 meeting was held in the Community Room at Jones County High School and was led by staff members of Augusta University Medical College.
Brandon Warrick welcomed members and introduced new staff members Ashley Prager and Gabrielle Mobley who would also be working with the project.
Giulianna Larosa talked about program updates. She said PIPP is a five-year project that would be entering its third year in November. The purpose of the project is to reduce the onset use of alcohol, electronic cigarettes and tobacco.
Larosa said the Catch my Breath program was presented at Jones County High School and Clifton Ridge and Gray Station Middle Schools and the Positive Norm campaign was a focus at Gray Station Middle School. That campaign includes posters with a positive message supporting the majority of students who stay away from alcohol, e cigarettes and tobacco.
She said project Alert classes had been completed at Clifton Ridge, and the next steps was setting dates for future events.
JCSS Student Service Director Dr. Trevis Killen said the “Being Me Vap Free” program had been implemented in grades K-3.
Warrick announced the good news that July had no reported deaths by suicide in Jones County.
Dr. Martha Tingen, who oversees the programs, said nothing could be done without the cooperation of community partners.
“We need to think about what we have achieved and how we can do more,” she said.
Warrick talked about QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training. He said the training helps identify the warning signs of suicide and how to respond. The training takes 90 minutes and is offered without charge in person or virtually.
“More than 300 people in Jones County have taken the training,” he said.
Jones County Suicide Prevention Coalition coordinator Joy Carr said QPR train the trainer classes where scheduled this fall and three QPR training classes were already scheduled in three schools.
Warrick announced that social media pages had reached 129 people in July, and the Georgia Crisis Line could be accessed through 988 for mental health emergencies. He said Linktree is a digital collection of resources available by scanning a code on flyers and other PIPP materials.
Carr said the coalition would have a table for community outreach at the last JCHS home football game in September at the community tailgate event. She said 600 bookbags filled with school supplies were distributed at this year’s Back to School Bash.
Warrick said other promotions for Suicide Prevent month includes chalk for sidewalk art messages for schools and organization and glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets.
Tingen said PIPP members were meeting with school administration following the meeting to discuss the HOPE Squad that is led by students to reach students.
Leslie Poythress said the Leaders in the Village group meets four times a year and is made up of non-traditional student care givers. She said QPR training is scheduled for the group. She added training is also planned for the JCHS Achievement Academy and for JCHS virtual students.
Chris Pope, founder and owner of Music Medix said he plans to add PIPP and suicide prevention information to the space he is renovating next to his facility.
“I want to reach out to musicians,” he said.
Warrick led a SWOT analysis that went over Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to the success of the programs.
The next meeting is Scheduled Sept. 26.
