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September: Join Us In Focusing On Suicide Prevention and Youth Development
Words by: Tori Bors
Published: September 1, 2021
Do you know the invitations to help you save the life of someone contemplating suicide?
September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Now, more than ever as our local schools return to class during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Tuolumne County's YES Partnership is focusing on improving youth resiliency and suicide prevention. We are especially mindful given that, according to the latest available pre-COVID data, the county was reported to have among the highest by population ratios of completed suicides in California.
The Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency (ATCAA), now celebrating its 40th anniversary of making a positive difference through its "People Helping People," is also kicking off Youth Development Month, focused on sharing what we do to support youth development and resiliency. We are proud to serve as the fiscal agent for the YES Partnership. We also serve as the coordinating agency for the Suicide Prevention Program Services awarded by Tuolumne County Behavioral Health Department with funds from the Mental Health Services Act MHSA/Prop 60. The Tuolumne County Suicide Prevention Task Force, an essential part of these efforts, is committed to making our community suicide-safer for youth and adults by providing local resource and training.
Besides the more obvious invitations such as talking about wanting to die or looking for ways to actively do it...hearing someone say they are feeling hopeless, without purpose, trapped, in unbearable pain or a burden to others can be invitations to explore to determine if someone is having thoughts of suicide.
So is when someone shows increased use of alcohol or drugs; signs of agitated or reckless behavior; is sleeping too little or too much; having extreme mood swings; withdrawing or isolating; even enraged behavior or revengeful talk can be an invitation. The more invitations a person shows demonstrates greater risk of a potential suicide.
The YES Partnership website provides rich links to local and national 24/7 resources to help those who may be contemplating suicide as well as family and community members interested in learning how to prevent suicide and facilitate help for those who need it. For more information, visit
