We are encouraging our communities to take advantage of a very beneficial and important training we are offering to anyone who is interested around the topic of suicide awareness and prevention.

QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer is made possible through the Suicide Prevention Foundation and locally through a grant the Area Agency on Aging District 7 (AAA7) received from the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.

Much like the well-known CPR, the fundamentals of QPR are easily learned and applied through a short training which the AAA7 is offering virtually. QPR, like CPR, functions as a “chain of survival,” allowing lay persons and professionals to respond to a life-threatening event: suicidal crisis. The training provides a booklet for each participant which becomes the resource to assist suicidal persons and is an instrumental part of the training. Teachers, coaches, local clergy, police officers and any community individual can learn the QPR method to help recognize signs and clues of suicidal behavior, how to approach and communicate with a suicidal person, and where to refer them for assistance.

In Ohio, five people die each day by suicide. A report released by the Ohio University College of Health and Sciences in July 2020 found rural counties have higher incidences of suicide and less resources to treat mental health conditions in Ohio. Of Ohio’s 88 counties, 37 have above the United States average deaths from suicide.

The training is open to anyone in the community who is interested. Upcoming trainings are set for Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. and March 8 at 10 a.m. The training will last a couple hours and attendees will receive materials ahead of time to use in the training and a virtual training link.

If you or someone you know would be interested in participating, or if you have questions about the training, please call the AAA7 Training Department at 1-800-582-7277, extension 252, or e-mail info@aaa7.org. To register for the training, log on to www.aaa7.org, go to the “Training” tab and click on “Training Registration.”

Nina Keller is the executive director of Area Agency on Aging District 7.