COLUMBUS — The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation will be hosting listening sessions across Ohio to address suicide in the Black community, the spokesperson with Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF) said.
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“We can’t do the work without first talking to the people who are directly impacted,” OSPF Executive Director, Tony Coder, said. “These sessions are giving us the insight we need to address suicide in the Black community in a culturally responsive way.”
OSPF is a non-profit focusing on suicide prevention efforts, as well as working to change people’s perception and attitude regarding the stigma attached to suicide, mental illness, addiction and alcohol and drug abuse, the spokesperson said in a media release shared with News Center 7.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Black population has seen an increase in suicides from 2019 to 2020 compared to 2018, the spokesperson said in the media release.
OSPF is looking to combat this issue by hosting these listening sessions to hear directly from members of the Black community about what could be contributing to this uptick, the spokesperson said.
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To conduct a report on the findings from each session, OSPF partnered with Male Behavioral Health and the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, the spokesperson said. The report will be used to show OSPF what suicide prevention resources are useful.
‘This report will inform OSPF’s broader programmatic goals to provide suicide prevention resources for Black individuals,” the spokesperson said in the media release. “In this first-of-its-kind event, community leaders, health care providers, and public officials from across the state will come together to learn about the unique factors that contribute to suicide in the Black community and walk away with the next steps that will change how we approach suicide prevention going forward.”
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Once the report is completed, OSPF will host the Black Suicide Prevention Conference in partnership with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction services, the spokesperson said.
The next three sessions will take place in Zanesville, Columbus and Cincinnati, the spokesperson said.
- Zanesville session will take place on Dec. 8th from 12 p.m. through 2 p.m. at The Bryan Place located at 49 N 6th St., Zanesville, OH 43701
- Cincinnati session will occur on Jan. 12th from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Woodward Theater located at 1404 Main St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
- Columbus session is set for Jan. 19th beginning at 12 p.m. through 2 p.m. at The Vue at 95 Liberty St., Columbus, OH 43215
More information regarding the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation can be found here.
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