Not a month goes by that doesn’t have a specific designation to raise awareness of an illness, campaign or any number of efforts. This month is dedicated to suicide awareness and emergency preparedness — issues some residents are working hard to highlight.
Farmington Hills Police Chief Chuck has said that mental health “remains one of our public safety and community’s biggest challenges. Going into any given year, mental health will result in more deaths and personal injuries than from crime and accidents at home and in the work place.”
Yet, efforts to raise awareness of mental health and suicide due in large part to the local SAFE — Suicide Awareness for Everyone — appear to have had an impact. Adult suicides in Farmington Hills have decreased from 10 in 2011, to seven in 2012, six in 2013, and through the first eight months of 2014, there have been four incidents of suicide, Nebus said.
Efforts led by SAFE and in particular, Farmington Hills City Councilman Ken Massey — the public face for the volunteer organization — are determined to remove the stigma attached to mental health and suicide discussion, awareness and in turn, raise prevention and response.
While the city has had annual decreases in suicides since 2011, the community unfortunately still has lost a total of 27 residents to deaths that may have been prevented. Other statistics also show a need for residents to join forces to learn the signs of mental health troubles and potential suicide.
Since 2011, 257 residents have attempted suicide, while 307 have threatened to kill themselves. In that same time period, Farmington Hills police sought mental health help through petitions for 809 residents.
The statistics show that increasing numbers of residents and family members are asking for help. “We are now responding to more threats of suicide than actual suicide attempts. More people are reaching out for help,” Nebus said. “For the past three years, we have experienced countless examples of depressed suicidal persons reaching out to friends, co-workers, social media or calling 911 rather than reaching for pills or a weapon.”
In one example, Nebus told of a suicidal teen driving on the freeway, who pulled off to the side of the road and dialed 911. “These are stories that demonstrate the success of our community initiatives.”
In yet another effort to save lives in the community, the Farmington Hills/Farmington Emergency Preparedness Commission is working to engage residents and involve them in making plans to be ready in case of emergencies, including flooding, weather, terrorism.
In this month designated as National Preparedness Month, the local commission is stressing the importance of not only emergency plans, but for families to create kits of supplies, such as water and a battery powered radio, that allow them to take care of themselves for at least 72 hours.
It is foolish to rely on luck to stay alive in a disaster. If families are prepared whether it’s having an exit plan for house fires or survival kits for disastrous weather — flooding, tornadoes, blizzards — the chances for survival increases tremendously.
“Most people don’t know what they need or what to do first. Yes. They need a plan and a disaster kit,” said Tim Tutak, vice chair of the Farmington Hills/Farmington Emergency Preparedness Commission.
Just think of this summer’s rain and how many Detroit area residents and motorists were stuck in the middle of flooding in homes and on the roads. It just takes a split second to be caught off guard, Tutak said.
The two organizations — SAFE and Emergency Preparedness Commission — work tirelessly to ensure that residents remain safe and alive. Each organization offers residents plenty of resources to help in that effort.
Each also works tirelessly to drive home an important reminder: Being part of a community means all look out for each other. That means checking on your elderly neighbors or noticing what kids are up to in your neighborhood.
Within the family and circle of friends, it is about caring enough to interfere and to ask questions when something doesn’t seem quite right with someone. Sure, the response may be anger, denial or silence. That’s OK. Just don’t give up.
While September continues, let’s be determined to ensure each others safety whether in times of emergencies or disasters or in personal troubled times. Losing even one person diminishes the community.