Waterloo region, Wellington County join national suicide prevention project Roots of Hope
Project will provide tools for local research and evaluation to help prevent suicides
Local agencies have joined a national suicide prevention project in the hopes of educating the public and also doing more research into the impact in Waterloo region and Wellington County.
The project is called Roots of Hope and it's by the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
It's a five-year program that will connect local agencies, like the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council, with specialized supports, tools for education, training and awareness and ways to do research and evaluation in the community.
The work will align very closely with the work already here says Elisa Brewer-Singh, executive director of the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council.
The public will continue to see events like a community skate in the winter or a butterfly release like the one scheduled for Sept. 10.
"It will also be an increase in some of the priorities that the council has been working on, which includes a research component and it also includes a men's mental health initiative and a hospital care resource," Brewer-Singh said.
It will also allow "an additional lens of research and evaluation to really ensure that these tools are effective in reaching the community."
More open dialogues
The concept behind Roots of Hope is strength and community spirit, Mental Health Commission of Canada president and CEO Louise Bradley said in a release announcing the latest partnership.
"The investments made by the participating communities and provinces, and the supporting federal dollars, send the message that suicide prevention is no longer an item at the bottom of the collective agenda," Bradley said.
Waterloo region and Wellington County together are the seventh community in the country to sign on to the project.
Between 2006 and 2015, the average number of yearly visits to local emergency rooms for people who intentionally self-harmed was 775.
But in recent years, there's been a greater acceptance about talking about mental health and suicide, Brewer-Singh said.
"It is a very engaged community," she said.
"When we talk about suicide prevention … we are having much more open dialogues now; the messaging that it's OK to not be OK but let's connect to resources and what might those resources be. It's also a comfort with asking that question, 'Are you thinking about suicide?'"
Asking those questions and showing people they can confide in another person helps reduce the stigma, Brewer-Singh said.
She says as part of the Roots of Hope project, they're excited to share their knowledge with Wellington County and other communities, but also learn from them "in hopes of really being able to provide some tangible tools for this community."
If you're experiencing suicidal thoughts or having a mental health crisis, there is help out there:
- Here 24/7 1-844-437-3247 (TTY: 1-877-688-5501) or visit here247.ca.
- K-W Counselling Services 519-884-0000.
- Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington general information 1-844-264-2993.
- Contact ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600 for help funding local addiction, mental health and problem gambling treatment services.
- Kids Help Phone 1-800-688-6868.