Here4Hope Provides Education & Website Two day conference features Dr. Frank Campbell, trains volunteers
Pictured at the Here4Hope conference reception at Doc Henderson’ s are: (From left): David
Phillips, County Prosecutor, Dr. David Applegate, County Coroner, Frank Campbell, State Representative David Burke,
and Ashley Garrett, Planning Director, Mental Health & Recovery Board.
Attendees at the conference participated in a role play to learn how to better support students
in the school setting following the death of a classmate.
A number of our neighbors in Union County recently attended a two-day conference in Marysville to better understand
what is happening for people who are feeling suicidal as well as how to support them and their loved ones through
such crises. Here4Hope – the new coalition addressing social issues affecting our community – presented Dr. Frank
Campbell, Executive Director of the Crisis Center Foundation based in Baton Rouge, a world-renowned suicide expert.
As a result, Union County now has a group of volunteers trained to respond to families in the aftermath of a suicide
or other traumatic death. This LOSS Team (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors) will be dispatched by County Coroner
Dr. David Applegate to provide comfort and linkage to supportive services as quickly as possible after an incident
occurs.
Pictured at the Here4Hope reception are: (from left) Deloris Bills, Mental Health America,
Holly Underwood, daughter Mallory Underwood and Alex Rhoades.
Campbell’s first exercise was to put attendees in the shoes of someone struggling with suicidal thoughts by outlining
the crisis theory model. Some people are less able to effectively handle life’s stressors than others, he explained.
Over time, these individuals may develop poor coping techniques such as alcohol or drug abuse, for example. Later,
as more upsetting events occur, thoughts of suicide gradually emerge as their only means of coping.
Providing supportive services at this stage can prevent suicides, he said. In fact, research on people who have
attempted suicide, yet survived, has shown that most attempters do not really want to die, they simply want to
end the pain they’re enduring in the present. Once we understand this logical progression, he added, we can tailor
our supportive services to stop the cycle before tragedy occurs.
The County Coroner will play a lead role in coordinating the dispatch of the LOSS Team to
the site of a traumatic death. Members of the team were on hand to participate in the training. Members of local
law enforcement helped provide information on suicide scene logistics during the recent conference. Pictured (from
left) are: Dr. Frank Campbell, Glenn Nichol, Marysville's assistant police chief, Paul Slaughter and John Kliber,
investigators, and Dr. David Applegate, county coroner.
Among the volunteers who helped served food at the conference were (from left) Ashley Garrett,
Maria Ford and Janae Mulvae
Campbell said that a community can provide a “four-legged stool” of protective factors that can help prevent suicide.
These efforts include: getting people involved in a supportive community, ensuring wellness, helping people feel
in control of their daily activities and providing resources to help them lead a productive and creative life.
Understanding this crisis theory prevents us from being judgmental toward someone who attempts or completes suicide
or blaming those left behind as the “cause.” Campbell referred to those people who have been impacted by the death
of someone by suicide as “survivors.”
Campbell strongly believes it is important for a caring community to provide support to those who experience the
complicated grief of another person’s suicide or attempt. He said that support services are necessary to help survivors
work their way out of the “Canyon of Why” and effectively move forward through the grieving process. If not, the
trauma of the death can affect the family for a very long time. “I call support for survivors ‘prevention for the
next generation,’” he said.
Here4Hope volunteers at the event included (from left) Maria Ford, Nedra Baetz, Noreen Runyan,
Sarah Hartley, Georgia Tobin and Ashley Garrett.
Ashley Garrett (left) spoke with Nedra Baetz and Rick Smith at the conference reception.
Here4Hope volunteers were pleased to see that their efforts to prevent suicide, intervene in a crisis and provide
supportive services to survivors are in sync with Campbell’s recommendations. As part of the conference, Here4Hope
chairperson Ashley Garrett, planning director, Mental Health & Recovery Board, introduced the group’s new website
– Here4Hope.org. Although the site is still under development, it already contains a good deal of information about
the county’s new Survivors of Suicide Support Group, procedures for handling a crisis, counseling and support group
information and more. Here4Hope.org also lists resources for dealing with alcohol and drug abuse issues – key risk
factors contributing to suicide and other social problems.
Here4Hope recently formed an alcohol and drug abuse task force to examine substance abuse issues and their impact
on suicide and other problems in the community. “Anyone interested in getting involved should check Here4Hope.org,
contact me at 937-642-1212 or simply come to our meetings,” said Garrett. “We really need input from our schools,
law enforcement, treatment and support providers, faith-based community, parents, youth – participants from all
demographics and corners of the county. The goal of Here4Hope is to improve the quality of life here for everybody.”
Georgia Tobin (left) spoke with Randy Reminder, Dr. Frank Campbell and Mike Witzky at the
reception.
Attending reception were (from left) Rita Monroe and Gwen Hoffman,
Attendees at the conference reception included (from left) Judge Charlotte Eufinger and Georgia
Tobin.
Many residents of Union County showed their support for Here4Hope at the reception. Among
those attending were Todd Beitelschees (left) and Dr. David Applegate (center).
