Here’s a question many people probably never really thought about. Can you call 9-1-1 in a suicide crisis situation? Fortunately, there are people ready with the answers to questions like that and they are being enlisted by the Berrien County Suicide Prevention Coalition this month to educate the rest of us.
On Tuesday, March 20th, during the monthly meeting for the Berrien County Suicide Prevention Coalition, representatives from various county agencies involved in emergency responses to 9-1-1 emergency line calls related to a suicide crisis will be on hand to aid in that education process.
They tell us calling 9-1-1 is an option you can turn to if needed when preventing a suicide. However, the coalition asks do you know:
- How that call would be handled?
- What protocols or procedures are in place?
- What training the dispatcher has received regarding suicide?
- If police are sent, what happens when they arrive?
- What training they have and what are their options or limitations?
- What happens if an ambulance is needed?
- What is involved in a wellness check or a Mental Health Petition?
The coalition invites you to get the answers to those and other questions you may have. Representatives from the 9-1-1 dispatch center, the sheriff’s department, the state police, Medic 1 and the Crisis Intervention Team (C.I.T.) will be in the house at the March meeting of the Berrien County Suicide Prevention Coalition.
The public is invited on Tuesday, March 20th, from noon to 1pm, at the Berrien Conference Room at the Health Department located at 2149 E. Napier Avenue in Benton Harbor. Those who live with or interact with someone with mental illness such as school personnel, counselors, social workers, medical personnel, and the general public are encouraged to attend because anyone could have contact with a suicidal person.
To make sure they provide enough seating, the coalition is asking you to please RSVP to trentwatford@gmail.com or at the event at the Berrien County Suicide Prevention Coalition Facebook Page.
The Berrien County Suicide Prevention Coalition is an advisory committee of Berrien Mental Health Authority (Riverwood Center). Contact Trent Watford at 269-428-7226 or email him at trentwatford@gmail.com for questions about the presentation. For more information on the Coalition, you can see their website at BerrienCares.org.
