HomeMy WebLinkAboutProclamation - GRISBoard of County Commissioners
Grant County
WHEREAS, suicide is a preventable public health issue. There were more than twice as many
suicides than.there were homicides in the United States in 2017. (National Institute for Mental Health) -
and
WHEREAS, suicide is one of the most traumatic events a family and a community can experience,
with more than 1,297 lives lost in Washington each year and an estimated 8 to 25 attempted suicides for
each suicide death; and
WHEREAS, in Washington State suicide is the 8th leading cause of all deaths, 2nd leading cause of
death for ages 10-34 and 4th leading cause of death for ages 35-54. (National Institute for Mental Health)
WHEREAS many people avoid discussing suicide although silence and stigma about suicide only
harm' individuals-,. families and our communities; andublic awareness is the key to preventing P in further
suffering and loss s of life; and the risk for human self-destruction can be reduced through awareness
education and: treatment; and
WHEREAS,, suici& -prevention has- been declared a national priority by the President and Congress;
and Washington declares suicide prevention as astate priority and has created a Washington State
.
Suicide Prevention. Plan;, and
WHEREAS, everyone, in Washington has a role in suicide preventionas suicideprevention is not
the responsibilityof the one entity alone; and
WHEREAS,, toprevent suicide in Washington, s ngton, we must change the factors we know contribute to
suicide risk, such as childhood trauma, isolation in our communities, access to lethal means and lack of
access to appropriate behavioral healthcare; and
WHEREAS, Grant IntegratedServices,,.the Grant County Suicide Prevention Taskforce, Moses
Lake Healthy Youth Partnership 365
(HP3 65), Quincy Partnership for Youth and the Royal City
Suicide Prevention Coalition are dedicated to providing quality evidence based suicide prevention
services founded on the current available research and best practices while reflecting community needs
and local cultures to eliminate the stigma of suicide, educate Grant County communities about the
warning signs of suicide, provide crisis support and resources and ultimately reduce the rate of suicide in
our community and state; and
WHEREAS, Grant County, in support of Grant Integrated Services and HYP365, is committed to
excellence in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.