CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) – Clermont County has joined forces with other organizations to launch an initiative to prevent suicide and help people in mental health crises.
The Clermont County Mental Health and Recovery Board and the Suicide Prevention Coalition have partnered with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to place support signs in state parks throughout Clermont County.
It is an initiative to spread the message “you are not alone” and make resources more accessible across the country.
The signs list the phone numbers for the Clermont and Brown County Crisis Hotline, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -988 and the National Veterans Crisis Line.
“Here in Clermont County, we haven’t seen an increase in the last two years, but we have found that people are going to isolation areas either when they’re thinking about it or when they’re actually trying it,” said Marcie Keith, chair of the Clermont County Suicide Prevention Coalition.
The signs will be placed in East Fork State Park and Stonelick State Park, as well as on lands managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Keith says it’s about suicide prevention, but also about mental health safety.
“So we know the nation is in a crisis when it comes to mental health, and any resources we can provide to people to prevent the worst, which is loss of life, is the greatest gift and service we can provide as a community,” Keith said.
She believes it is crucial for community members and organizations to come together to identify and solve a problem.
“This is tangible. People will see it and we hope that the next county or the next 87 counties will say, ‘Oh, we could do that and we can prevent something and get resources and crisis information into the hands of people who are in need,’ and I think that’s the most important issue and the more obvious something is, the less of a stigma it becomes.”
The Board will honor this initiative with local and state partners on September 10 during National Suicide Prevention Month.
Officials say help is available 24 hours a day by calling 513-528-SAVE or 988.
These resources connect callers with a certified crisis center in their area.
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