New volunteer group tackles suicide prevention

Marquette County residents have begun their volunteer effort to address the issue of suicide in an attempt to keep people from committing it.

Marquette General Health System, Great Lakes Recovery Centers and Pathways are the lead agencies behind the Marquette County Suicide Prevention Coalition. The new group has also invited other organizations with a health care focus to join it for monthly meetings.

“There’s been some high-profile cases of suicide (in the area recently), and there’s a lot of concern in the community when we’re out there speaking to people that this is something that needs to be addressed,” Great Lakes Recovery Centers Foundation coordinator Andy Chosa said. “There’s models that we can follow to try and help people through whatever issues they’re going through.”

The coalition will create a website with extensive suicide prevention information. It’ll make layperson training more accessible and will work with health care providers to increase screenings of mental health issues that could lead to suicide.

“It really made perfect sense for us all to come together, pull together some resources that are in the county and try to get some efforts off the ground to try to address some of these issues that are taking place in our community,” Chosa said.

The group will also take part in and promote the “Out of the Darkness” walk every September that raises money for suicide prevention efforts in the county.