Ellwood City Hospital Behavioral Health Unit will be hosting a QPR training course for Lawrence County residents interested in combating the 10th leading cause of death in the nation, suicide.
QPR stands for question, persuade, and refer; these are the three basic principals taught by professionals on how to potentially save a life.
Over the past year a half Ellwood City Hospital Behavioral Health Unit’s suicide prevention classes have taught over 500 people, and they show no signs of slowing down their efforts.
“Suicide is a taboo subject -there is plenty of support for physical health disorders, but for those with mental health disorders they often feel alone and embarrassed to ask for help,” Victoria Gatto, a Community Education Manager at the Ellwood City Hospital Behavioral Health Unit explained as she emphasized the importance of suicide awareness.
“It could happen to anyone, a loved one, a friend of a loved one, and more often than not people at risk of suicide show warning signs. It’s important to recognize those signs and that’s exactly what we’re here to teach anyone who is willing to learn, teachers, officers, ministers, literally- everyone is encouraged to learn how to recognize these extremely vital warning signs.”
The training course will be held at The Tree of Life Wellness Center on Beatty Street in Ellwood on December 9, starting at 12p.m.
The course lasts about an hour and a half, is completely free, and certificates in QPR training are awarded after the class.
Official flyer below.
If you would ever hold a evening class, I would love to go.