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22 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • September 2019 Suicide is the 10 th leading cause of death in the United States for all ages, and the second leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High-profile suicides like those of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade put this topic front and center in the media. Statistics from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention tell us that for every suicide, there are 25 attempts. That makes it critical that families and communities have the tools to talk about mental health, the knowl- edge to spot the warning signs of suicide and the confidence to take actions—like securing lethal means and speaking up for those at risk—that can save lives. The Lock and Talk Virginia program was created to do just that. Lock and Talk aims to prevent suicides by: • Removing access to firearms and poisons during a mental health crisis, and • Educating members of the public about how to recognize and respond to the warning signs of suicide. Learn how you can play a role in saving lives by adopting the Lock and Talk strategy. LOCK The "lock" part of the program goes directly after the leading lethal means used in death by suicide year after year: firearms (used in five out of 10 suicides in the U.S., and nearly 60 percent of suicides in Virginia) and drugs and poisons. Michelle Wagaman, Prevention Services Coordinator for the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board, said Lock and Talk Virginia is building a network of fami- lies, community organizations, pawn shops, gun retailers, law enforcement agencies and other groups that can become a safety net to try to prevent suicides in Virginia. A big part of that strategy is removing lethal means from those at risk. "If we can put distance between an individual in crisis and the lethal means, we can prevent suicide," Wagaman says. To help households and businesses achieve this, RACSB's Prevention Services provides safety devices, including gun cable locks, gun trig- ger locks, medication lock boxes and medication deactivation kits. TALK Healthy communities must have an open conversation about suicide, the risk fac- tors, how to spot them and act on them. RACSB fosters this with its Mental Health First Aid training program. Just as traditional first aid training teaches people how to save lives through physical means like tourniquets and CPR, Mental Health First Aid equips people with the tools and knowledge to help during a mental health crisis. Through both youth and adult curricu- lums, the class teaches about common risk factors and warning signs of mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, sub- stance use disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. "We want this to become as common as CPR training," says Wagaman. So far, 1,500 people in the community have been trained. In addition to interested community members, the training is given to all graduates of the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy, and has also been offered in several schools divisions, and to resident advisors at the University of Mary Washington. Mental Health First Aid Upcoming training sessions ADULT (2-day classes held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Day 1, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Day 2.) October 9/10: Rappahannock United Way 3310 Shannon Park Dr., Fredericksburg VA 22408 YOUTH (1-day class; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Sept. 12 and Nov. 15: Rappahannock United Way 3310 Shannon Park Dr., Fredericksburg VA 22408 To learn more or to register, contact Jennifer Bateman at 540-374-3337, ext. 100, or jbateman@rappahannockareacsb.org. Be a Lock and Talk Family. Save lives. The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board offers a message of HOPE that we can save lives in our community. September is National Suicide Prevention Month Be a Lock and Talk Family. Save lives. The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board offers a message of HOPE that we can save lives in our community. September is National Suicide Prevention Month WRITTEN BY EMILY FREEHLING