Events, Emphasis on Resources to Mark Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month in Centre County

Centre County’s Board of Commissioners on Tuesday designated September as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month and Sept. 10 as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Day in the cunty

Marisa Vicere, president and founder of the Jana Marie Foundation, joined the board to discuss suicide prevention efforts and upcoming community events. 

“Each September, we pause to recognize Suicide Prevention Month, but I believe this work of suicide prevention cannot be limited to one month on the calendar,” Vicere said. “It is something we must carry with us throughout the entire year in our schools, our workplaces, our homes and our communities.” 

Prevention involves more than responding when someone is already in crisis, Vicere said. She encouraged people to create environments where asking for help is accepted and mental health conversations are more common. 

“Suicide prevention is more than responding when someone is in crisis,” she said. “It’s about creating communities where people feel connected, valued, supported and comfortable asking for help before they reach the point of crisis.” 

The Jana Marie Foundation works with young people to promote mental wellbeing through dialogue and creative expression, and provides programs such as Mental Health First Aid, QPR Suicide Prevention and Mind Matters. 

Vicere said those programs help students understand their emotions, develop coping skills and recognize when they or someone they know may need additional support. 

“At Jana Marie Foundation, we believe that conversations can change lives,” Vicere said. “Sometimes the most important thing we can ask someone is, ‘How are you really doing? And then listen.” 

Adults do not need to have all the answers to support someone who is struggling, she explained. 

“We simply need to be willing to notice when someone might be struggling, and to listen without judgment, and to help connect them to a trusted adult or professional, when more support is needed, for young people, connection especially matters,” Vicere said. 

According to the county, suicide remains a significant public health concern in Pennsylvania. A person dies by suicide approximately every five hours in the state and suicide remains among the leading causes of death for people ages 15 to 34. 

Vicere said that although she did not have the most recent data from the coroner’s office, Centre County has recorded about 15 suicide deaths annually in recent years.

“We know that one death is too many, and we know it’s something that can happen across the lifespan,” she said. 

Commissioners also emphasized the importance of making resources available to residents before they reach a crisis point. 

The national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Vicere noted that Centre County is home to a 988 call center operated through Centre Helps. 

“988 is such an important resource that all of us should have on our refrigerators or in our phones. So we never know when somebody may need access to that,” she said. 

Vicere also pointed to safe storage of firearms and medications as another prevention measure

The Jana Marie Foundation offers Counseling on Access to Lethal Means, or CALM, training focused on reducing access to potentially lethal methods during periods of crisis. 

Creating time and distance between someone in crisis and a lethal means, Vicere said, can provide an opportunity for that person to seek help. 

“There are so many avenues to get help, but really redeem that time and distance, so that somebody can feel a little more grounded and take that step for reaching out,” she said. 

Among Upcoming Centre County suicide prevention events, the Centre County Suicide Prevention Task Force will hold its annual Suicide Prevention Rally from noon to 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 8 at the Community Services Building, 502 E. Howard St., Bellefonte. 

The annual Evening of Hope, Healing and Remembrance will be held Sept. 10 at the Centre LifeLink Building, 125 Puddintown Road, State College. 

The event will include a community dinner and performances focused on remembrance and resilience. 

“With a Little Help From Our Friends,” a benefit concert supporting Jana Marie Foundation’s work, will be held on Sept. 12 at The Arena Bar & Grill.

The foundation will offer several evidence-based courses at no cost throughout September, including a mental health first aid training scheduled for Sept. 22. 

It also hosts a Survivors of Suicide Loss group for adults who have lost someone to suicide. 

For immediate crisis support, residents can call or text 988, call the Center for Community Resources crisis line at 1-800-643-5432, or visit the walk-in center at 2100 E. College Ave.  

For more information, visit the Centre County Mental Health Office website.

Vicere urged residents to treat suicide prevention as an ongoing community responsibility rather than something limited to September. 

“This month, I hope we do more than wear a ribbon or share a message,” she said. “I hope we make a commitment– a commitment to check in, a commitment to listen, a commitment to learn how to recognize when someone may need support, and a commitment to remind the people in our lives that they matter, and perhaps most importantly, a commitment to never underestimate the power of one conversation.” 

The commissioners unanimously approved the proclamation Tuesday. 

“At Jana Marie Foundation, we believe every person has a story worth hearing, a life worth investing in, and a future worth imagining,” Vicere said. “Prevention doesn’t start with a crisis. It starts with connection. It starts with compassion, and sometimes it starts with asking, ‘Are you okay?”