This Month at the Kid Clinic: Join us as we work to ‪#‎StopSuicide

Disclosure: If you or someone you know is in immediate danger because of thoughts of suicide call 911 NOW. If you need someone to talk with about your suicidal feelings, please do not hesitate to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1.800.273.TALK (8255).

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and September 6-12 is National Suicide Prevention Week. With this in mind, the Campbell County Medical Group Kid Clinic counselors outlined a few items that we want our community members to know about suicide prevention.

Teachers in Wyoming are now trained in suicide prevention every four years due to the Jason Flatt Act. Now, when discussions of suicide arise in school, in part due to the prevalence of suicide in our community, teachers are better able to talk to students about what they are feeling. However, parents should also be prepared to help a child at home if they are suicidal.

If a child or youth expresses suicidal thoughts to you, or makes statements about wanting to end his/her life, please consider asking them if they are thinking about suicide. This question does NOT plant the idea in their minds. Here are some things to ask if the child mentions they are thinking about suicide:

• Can you talk about what plans you have to end your life?
• What are you thinking you would use to end your life?
• Do you have a time and or place picked out to end your life?

If the child, or youth, answer all of these questions, the CCMG Kid Clinic wants you to know that intervention from a professional is needed. Suicidal thoughts or behaviors are an emergency, and must be considered as such. If you feel that the child is in immediate danger, call 911 immediately. If the child wants to talk with someone, feel free to do one of the following:

• Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1.800.273.TALK (8255).
• Schedule an appointment with Behavioral Health Services at 307.688.5000.
• Call the CCMG Kid Clinic at 307.688.8700.
• Go to the Emergency Department at Campbell County Health, 501 S. Burma Ave.

If the child or youth does not have a plan for suicide, discuss their thoughts and keep in mind a few simple rules.

• Validate their feelings about the situation they are facing and show/tell them that they are loved.
• Let them know that you hear what they are saying.
• Be supportive. Offer to help them find professional help, to listen more often to them, or anything else that they identify that may help them. Monitor how they are doing and lock up firearms (or ammunition), prescription medications, and other potentially harmful items until you are sure the situation has improved.

The Kid Clinic is a school-based pediatric clinic offering medical care and counseling services for Campbell County students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and their siblings over the age of 2. It is located at 800 Butler Spaeth Rd., across from St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. The Kid Clinic is open Monday-Friday from 8 am-5 pm. For more information, call 307.688.8700 or visit www.cchwyo.org/kidclinic. The Kid Clinic is a collaborative effort between Campbell County Health and Campbell County School District.

If you’d like to be a part of suicide prevention in our community, please contact the Campbell County Suicide Prevention Coalition (CCSPC) on Facebook, or at www.campbellcountyprevention.org. The CCSPC is hosting its second Run for Life 5K run/walk on Saturday September 12 at Dalbey Memorial Park, starting at 8 am. Proceeds from the run/walk provide funding for community-wide suicide prevention trainings, suicide loss and bereavement support and outreach, stigma-reducing awareness and education efforts, and safety items for families with loved ones at risk of self-harm. Learn more on the Facebook event.

For a list of potential warning signs or risk factors for suicide, or for more resources, please visit www.cchwyo.org/preventsuicide.