A number of local health organizations are teaming up to raise awareness of suicide.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge Health Unit, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Community Care, and Hospice Care are holding an event to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. It runs on Sunday in Lindsay with Monday being World Suicide Prevention Day.
Jack Veitch, the CMHA’s Manager of Community Engagement and Education, says that the event is not just about raising awareness, but also about creating a supportive community. Veitch says that the two-day event gives family members of people that lost their lives to suicide a chance to heal as a community in a variety of ways.
On Sunday people can take part in a candlelight vigil to commemorate those that have been lost. Veitch says that there is also guided meditation to help people heal. The event is happening at 6:00pm at the Community Services Hospice Garden.
Aside from the guided meditation and vigils, there will be information booths from the CMHA, Community Care and Hospice Care about suicide as a whole. Veitch explained that this event stems from something similar planned by the International Association for Suicide Prevention.