To help give Cape Cod and the Islands communities the necessary information and tools to raise awareness, promote education, and increase action to reduce suicides.

C.I.S.P.C. remains committed to our mission. To provide Cape Cod and the Islands communities necessary information and tools to raise awareness, promote education, and increase action to reduce suicides. We cannot do it alone. We are looking for volunteers to help us spread the word at different functions and events that may come up throughout the year.

If you are interested in joining our team, please email our coordinator at:

suicideprevention@capecoalition.com

CONNECT

safe TALK

SIGNS OF SUICIDE - S.O.S.

QUESTION PERSUADE REFER - Q.P.R.

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID - M.H.F.A.

APPLIED SUICIDE INTERVENTION SKILLS - A.S.I.S.T.

If you, your organization or community would like to learn more about any of these

trainings, please email our coordinator at suicideprevention@capecoalition.net

This article is from NAMI:

From the desk of Jackie Lane, Executive Director NAMI CC&I

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! While, we at NAMI CC&I, spend a great deal of time, all twelve months of the year, attempting to make people aware of mental health and its profound effect on our lives and the social fabric of our community, we felt that it was appropriate to plan some special activities for the Month of May.

In addition to media messaging and public displays, we are pleased to be collaborating with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health in the presentation of a four-hour seminar on the brain and its development. This educational program will be held at the Cape Codder in Hyannis on May 21 from 8:30 – 12:30. All are invited to attend. (Please see information and link below.) I will also be on Martha’s Vineyard tomorrow, the first day of May, to do a NAMI CC&I presentation at the Chilmark Library at 5 PM. I hope to see many of our Vineyard members.

Education is at the core of the mission of NAMI CC&I and we have developed a strong agenda of community programming reaching out to those who are “boots on the ground” when it comes to mental health incidents in our communities. Our CCIT police training program, not only teaches police officers de-escalation techniques and advises them of services available, but also teaches the basics about mental illness as an illness like any other illness requiring medical treatment. Our Think:Kids program educates our public school teachers about mental health issues in children and teens and gives them additional tools for coping in their classrooms. We are in the process of holding Mental Health First Aid instructor trainings resulting in having 30 Mental Health First Aid instructors on the Cape and Islands to educate groups on mental health basics.

Mental and behavioral health issues are very prevalent in our modern society and we at NAMI CC&I are working diligently 12 months of the year to raise the awareness of the general public. In this newsletter, you will see current statistics demonstrating the need to make mental health awareness a priority in our communities. Let’s work together to erase the stigma concerning mental health!

Key mental health statistics include:

· 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. lives with a mental health condition.

· 1 in 25 (10 million) adults in the U.S. lives with a serious mental illness.

· 43.8 million adults in the U.S. face the day-to-day reality of living with a mental illness.

· Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24, but early intervention programs can help.

· Additional facts and citations are available at Mental Health by the Numbers.

From left to right is Co-Chair Kevin Marshall, Treasurer Lisa Forhan and Steering Committee Members Tess DeAlberdi and Casey Kohler.

The first week of May there was a QPR Training on Nantucket for 13 people.

Co-Chair Deb Martin, PHO Navigator, HCI Physician Org.

Co-Chair SGT. Kevin Marshall Nantucket Police Department

Treasurer Lisa Forhan, MPPA, Director of Risk Management for the DMH

David Araujo, Director, Martha's Vineyard Community Services Intervention Center

Tessandra de Alberdi, CRC, LMHC,LADC, Executive Director, Fairwinds Counseling Center

Jonathan Greenberg, Service Coordinator, JRI/Family Networks

Stephanie Kelly, Executive Director, Samaritans Cape Cod and Islands

Melissa Maguire, Director of Student Services at Monomoy Regional School District

Danielle Lucca, Assistant Program Director, Cape and Islands Veteran's Outreach Center

Casey Koehler, MA, Clinical Supervisor, South Bay Community Services

Frances Bassett, Cape & Islands Suicide Prevention Coordinator

Cape and Islands Suicide Prevention Coalition

P.O.Box 119 Barnstable, Mass. suicideprevention@capecoalition.com 0000000000 suicideispreventable.net