EDMOND —
If you’ve decided you want to help prevent suicide there’s a way for you to take the next step.
In recent months, central Oklahoma has been frequently touched by suicide, particularly youth suicide. It is an issue that has affected communities across the country. Local officials stress that the victims have been in all age groups.
Knowing how to recognize the signs and direct those at risk to the right resources can help save a life, said Ken Elliott, director of UCO’s Violence Prevention Project.
Any concerned community member age 18 or older is invited to attend the suicide prevention summit from 6-8 p.m. Monday at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Center for Transformative Learning.
Sponsors include the Edmond Police Department, Edmond Public Schools, Edmond Family Counseling, the UCO Student Counseling Center, OU Medical Center Edmond, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Parents Helping Parents and HeartLine. HeartLine answers local calls to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255).
Elliott said attendees will initially meet as a group in the Center for Transformative Learning’s Radke Fine Arts Theater to hear opening remarks from UCO President Don Betz. From there, they will break into four separate groups to learn about QPR — Question, Persuade and Refer — a short curriculum which teaches participants three steps in helping someone at risk of suicide.
The first step — Question — involves how to ask a person about thoughts of suicide, Elliott said. The second — Persuade — involves how to persuade someone not to end his or her life and to get help. The third — Referral — involves making the referral for help.
QPR instructors will be Charles Lillard, a recently retired longtime campus minister with Baptist Collegiate Ministries, Shelly Douglas, co-founder of Hope Team, an organization dedicated to educating communities about suicide intervention, UCO staff member Kay Jones, and Todd Strader and Paul Barbour, members of the Edmond Police Department.
Elliott said with increased public awareness, both UCO and the Edmond Suicide Prevention Task Force are faced with increasing questions as to why there has been such an increase in the number of suicides.
“We certainly do not have all of the answers for this growing community problem, but we do know that we have to act and act swiftly as lives are at risk,” Elliott said.
Monday’s summit is just one way to break the silence and talk about what has been a taboo subject, Elliott said. The first summit was at UCO in April. Additional events have been held since as a way to try to be proactive regarding suicide in Edmond, Elliott said. A training session was also held for members of the local faith community.
Future UCO summits will be on April 29 and Aug. 5.
For more information about Monday’s event call Ken Elliott at 974-2387.
marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108
Local News
UCO to host suicide prevention workshop
- Local News
-
-
Catholic leaders mark Fortnight for Freedom
Local Catholic leaders are calling for believers to join an interfaith prayer campaign promoting renewed respect for life, traditional marriage and religious liberty.
On the eve of a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding same sex marriage, and the Aug. 1 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate, which forces employers to pay for contraceptive services despite their religious and moral objections, U.S. bishops called for the second annual Fortnight for Freedom June 21-July 4. -
AAA: Hands-free texting more distracting than talking
If you own a newer car or smartphone you are likely aware that speech-to-text technology exists.
The 2013 Ford Focus ST has technology that will read incoming texts from a connected phone and translate commonly used abbreviations. You also can respond with a set of up to 15 preset outgoing messages. -
Fence agreement nets commission approval for senior housing plan
A good-faith fence line agreement brought the Edmond Planning Commission to recommend approval for the final plat of Mon Abri. This week’s vote was 4-0.
Developer Ron Walters plans to build a group of duplexes and “fiveplexes” for senior citizens. Mon Abri is proposed to be on 87 acres of property on the east side of Broadway, south of Covell Road, said Bob Schiermeyer, city planner. -
Arcadia Lake reopens today
All four public access parks at Arcadia Lake reopened this morning at 6 o’clock. The parks have been closed since June 3 due to flooding from heavy rainfall and the ensuing runoff.
-
Company shoots video footage in downtown Edmond
If you were driving in downtown Edmond mid-day Tuesday you might have seen what looked like a film crew at work on a street corner.
-
Covell/I-35 work on track
The hotel and conference center project on Interstate 35 is very much on track, said John Weeman of Partners In Development told The Edmond Sun on Tuesday. Weeman is in the process of selecting one of three people for a construction partner, he said.
-
2 officers suffer injuries in drug-related pursuit
Two police officers suffered injuries during a call in which suspects fled in a vehicle and possessed meth, police said.
-
City Council approves church remodel
A request by Redeemed Christian Church of God Kingdom Chapel to remodel a facility at 307 E. Danforth for a church was approved recently by the City Council.
“The church wants to rent a 2,302-square-foot space in the office building on the north side of Danforth, east of the convenience store, south of the Timber Ridge Addition,” said Bob Schiermeyer, city planner. “There will be no new construction other than interior remodeling to accommodate the church.
The church does not request changes to the one driveway or sidewalk of the property, Schiermeyer said. No changes will be made to the outside of the two-story brick veneer building. A sprinkler system will not be required. -
Arcadia Lake nears reopening for summer season
Work on reclaiming Arcadia Lake has been ongoing since high water forced its closure earlier this month.
-
Professor: Constitutional heritage can bring sense of belonging to U.S. citizens
Education is fundamental in preparing a citizenry to live under a free constitutional republic, said Kyle Harper, founding director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage at the University of Oklahoma. Harper is also the senior vice provost at OU as well as an associate professor of Classics and Letters.
A sense of identity by belonging to a tradition is an ingredient in being part of a free republic, he said while speaking to the Edmond Republican Women’s Club on Monday. An educated citizen must be aware, alert and intelligent to care about public affairs, he said. - More Local News Headlines
-
Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Exclusive: Locklear & Seymour Lock Lips
Miami Heat Wins in Overtime
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl
Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash
Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention
Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor
Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach
Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane
Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent'
WATCH IT: Lil Wayne tramples American flag
Mariah Carey Looks Beautiful in a Tiny Cut-Out Swimsuit
Out of Control Boat Throws Passengers Overboard
