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Contact: Lori Maldonado
Public Information Specialist
(303) 692-2028
For Immmediate Release Monday, October 20, 2003
Public Invited to Attend 2nd Annual Suicide Prevention Conference
DENVER--State health officials Monday invited survivors of suicide;
professionals working in healthcare, human services, education, the
ministry and criminal justice; special interest groups; and other
persons interested in working to prevent suicide in Colorado to
attend the 2nd annual “Wings of Hope” suicide prevention summit.
The summit will be held on Sunday, Oct. 26, and Monday Oct. 27, at
the Westminster Westin Hotel, 10600 Westminster Blvd., in
Westminster.
The summit is sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment’s Office of Suicide Prevention, the Suicide
Prevention Coalition of Colorado and the Colorado Trust Foundation.
The summit begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, and will conclude at
6:15 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27. The registration fee is $70 for both
days. To register for the conference, contact Laura Prohaska at
(303) 377-3040.
The conference will feature sessions on suicide prevention and the
college student; men, depression and suicide; suicide and the
elderly; efforts to support survivors of suicide; the biology of
suicide; suicide prevention in rural areas; and how men, women, and
children differ in the grieving process.
Shannon Breitzman, director of the Office of Suicide Prevention,
said that Colorado currently ranks 5th in the nation for suicide
deaths.
“Approximately 60 Coloradans die each month by suicide. In 2002, 724
Coloradans died by suicide. Eighty percent of those that die are
male, and those Colorado residents who are 65 years of age and older
have the highest suicide rates of any age group,” she said.
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Breitzman added that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for
every age group from 10 to 34 years old.
She explained that the “Wings of Hope” summit is designed to share
information about suicide and suicide prevention, and to encourage
the ongoing collaboration of suicide prevention efforts statewide.
Breitzman said, “Representatives of community organizations from
throughout Colorado will have opportunities to share the successes
and challenges of local suicide prevention efforts and to learn from
each other.”
Goals of the summit include:
Bringing together representatives from suicide prevention efforts
across Colorado;
Addressing the diverse needs of the Colorado population through
specific topic areas;
Sharing information regarding suicide prevention efforts at the
national, state and local levels;
Providing an opportunity for best practices to be shared;
Determining ways in which the Office of Suicide Prevention together
with the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado can increase the
effectiveness of suicide prevention efforts in all communities.
Breitzman said, “Suicide is a significant but preventable public
health problem in Colorado. It will take everyone to make a
difference. The importance of working collaboratively with
communities, agencies, groups and individuals is critical to the
success of prevention efforts.”
According to Breitzman, Colorado is at the forefront in the United
States in its efforts to address suicide.
Highlights for the 2003 “Wings of Hope” Suicide Prevention Summit
agenda include the following sessions:
Away from Home but Not Alone, presented by Linda Chase, executive
director of the Suicide Education and Support Services of Weld
County, who will address the difficult transition between high
school and adult life that may impact a college student’s risk for
suicide.
Flying through Grief, presented by Bailey Stenson, a self-employed
mental health therapist, who will discuss grief as our most
important healing opportunity and offer helpful techniques for
healing the heart after grief.
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Is it All in Your Head?, presented by Dr. Laura Martin, a research
fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado
Health Sciences Center, who will discuss physiology and pharmacology
of the central nervous system and how genetics and body chemistry
impact mental health and suicide.
Why So Many Men?, presented by George Delgrosso, executive director
of Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council and Mark Scofield,
chairman of the Mesa County Suicide Prevention Coalition and a
licensed clinical social worker, who will present a two-part series
on men, depression and suicide. The first session will address
issues of socialization, depression, substance abuse and violence.
The second session will feature an interactive discussion about ways
to reach men with suicide prevention efforts.
For more information about the conference, call (303) 692-2560 or
(303) 377-3040.
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