The Lewis & Clark Suicide Prevention Coalition and Lewis and Clark Public Health will host a QPR training to teach the community how to help someone with suicidal thoughts.
Anybody is welcome to join.
Montana has the highest suicide rate in the country, about 30 deaths per 100,000 people. That number is 64.4% higher than in 1999.
Q.P.R., which stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer is the evidence-based model that the public will learn at the training. The goal is to question whether someone is feeling suicidal, persuade them to seek help, and refer them onto the next level of care.
“We just want to make sure that we create a network of support in our community, where everyone is aware of warning signs, risk factors, and how to ask someone if they’re thinking about suicide. So, they can get the help that they need,” says Jess Hegstrom, the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for Lewis and Clark Public Health.
For information on the training, the link to the event is posted here .
For suicide help, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text MT to 741-741.
