A newly-introduced program that provides free suicide prevention training to the community has already seen a great deal of success — certifying nearly than 1,000 locals in “QPR” since April.
Valley Behavioral Health and Tooele City’s Communities that Care launched the program in response to growing concern about suicidality and suicidal ideation among local youth, according to Heidi Peterson, Communities that Care director.
Peterson said Valley Behavior Health initiated the QPR training program after SHARP survey data reported that more than 15 percent of local school-age youth desired mental health treatment, and that more than 14 percent said they were considering suicide.
The QPR program trains individuals to respond to suicidal behaviors and ideation in much the same way CPR trains civilians to respond effectively to cardiac arrest, Peterson said in an email.
Certified persons are taught to ask a distressed person directly if they intend to commit suicide, and then to persuade the person to get help and refer them to an appropriate source.
“The intention behind QPR is to teach others to recognize the warning signs, clues and suicidal communications of persons in trouble [in order] to act quickly and assertively to prevent a possible tragedy,” Peterson said.
QPR is considered “evidence-based,” or scientifically proven to provide results, said Julie Spindler, a prevention coordinator at Valley Behavioral Health. Scientific studies have demonstrated that when someone is asked whether they plan to commit suicide, it has an influence on whether they follow through with those plans, she said.
“It is a life saving technique until professional help can arrive,” Spindler said. “The community has really rallied around this cause, and we’re really excited to save lives in our community.”
Valley Behavioral Health pays for and provides facilitators for each of the trainings, and Communities that Care provides a public venue to increase access to the program, Spindler said.
So far the trainings have seen steady interest from local residents. By the end of the month, Peterson said, the county will have 1,000 residents trained in QPR.
The next public QPR training will be held on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. at Tooele City Hall. Those who would like to attend should register by calling Peterson at 435-843-2188 or via email at heidip@tooelecity.org.
Groups and businesses may also host private trainings, which can be arranged by calling Spindler at 435-843-3520 or via email at julies@vmh.com.