11-15-2005 South Bend and Mishawaka Mayors Proclaim “Survivors of Suicide Day”

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Page 1of 2 st "Building a 21 Century City " Stephen J. Luecke, Mayor RELEASE FROM:FOR RELEASE: Mikki Dobski, Communications & Special Projects, 574-Tuesday November 15, 2005 235-5855 South Bend and Mishawaka Mayors Proclaim “Survivors of Suicide Day” Recognizing that suicide is a health problem and suicide prevention requires the commitment of the entire community, Mayors Jeff Rea and Stephen J. Luecke joined together to designate November 19th as “Survivors of Suicide Day” in the cities of Mishawaka and South Bend. The purpose of the joint proclamation is to bring needed attention to this problem and to encourage the citizens of Mishawaka and South Bend to work together to help reduce suicide through advocacy for raising awareness, education and training. An American dies by suicide every 17 minutes, and suicides consistently outnumber homicides by a margin of three to two. The National Survivors of Suicide Day began in 1997 as a U.S. Senate resolution, through the efforts of Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic Leader, who lost his father to suicide. This year, over one hundred cities across our country will sponsor conferences that celebrate the lives of those who survived a suicide attempts and to remember those who have not been so lucky. Locally, the Suicide Prevention Council of St. Joseph County and Surrounding Areas is dedicated to reducing the frequency of suicide attempts and deaths, and the pain of survivors affected by the suicide of loved ones. In partnership with Andra S. Press, Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Madison Center, and the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, the Council will be sponsoring a conference on November 18, 2005 entitled “Death by Suicide: Healing and Surviving”. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United Sates and the third major cause of death among young people aged 15 through 19. More than 30,000 people take their own lives each year and hundreds of thousands of people become suicide survivors (people who have lost a loved one to suicide). Mayors Rea and Luecke encourage all citizens of South Bend to join the effort to build awareness and to develop strategies for education, treatment, activities to eliminate the stigma, and ultimately to reduce the incidence of suicide in our communities. Contact: Mikki Dobski, Communications & Special Projects, 574-235-5855, 876-1564 Julie DeKeizer, Mishawaka Mayor’s Office, 574-258-1601 Go Back | City Home Page | City Directory | Site Map | Search powered by FreeFind Created by the City of South Bend Department of Information Technologies. Copyright © 2005 City of South Bend. All rights reserved. http://www.ci.south-bend.in.us/Press/Releases_2005/111505_survivors.htm1/13/2006