Suicide Prevention Progress Continues in County Says StarkMHAR
John Aller, Executive Director of StarkMHAR, Michele Boone, Director of Clinical Services at StarkMHAR were guests on the Gary Rivers Show Monday morning to talk about a youth suicide in Stark County report that was released this past week
Epi-Aid Investigation provides key findings and recommendations
An Epi-Aid investigation was conducted during the last 12 months due to the rapid increase in Stark County youth suicides between August 2017 and March 2018. The suicide rate among youth aged 10-19 years rose to more than 7 times the U.S. national rate and 11 times the Stark County rate for the previous years.
This investigation was conducted in partnerships with the Stark County Health Department, the Ohio Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, along with input from numerous community partners. The purpose of the Epi-Aid was to examine factors contributing to the increased suicidal behavioral among Stark County youth.
Four main objectives were completed through the Epi-Aid:
1) Determined the students in need of prevention services at all affected and at-risk middle and high schools through a comprehensive school based risk screen.
2) Identified factors for youth suicide that may contribute to ongoing suicidal behavioral to prevent further suicide attempts and suicides.
3) Determined the activities, social supports, and other factors among youth that are most protective against suicide risk to help guide prevention activities.
4) Inventoried and catalogued existing suicide prevention initiatives to make recommendations on evidence-based suicide prevention programs.
