Local suicide prevention group discusses continuum of care and summit at meeting

WASILLA — Valley Awareness and Prevention for Suicide Coalition members covered a range of topics during their regular meeting at the Mat-Su Public Health Center Tuesday, Dec. 10.

The up and coming group brainstormed numerous local services and resources to fill the “gaps” between assets regarding the continuum of care for those affected by suicide from all angles. They also discussed ideas for their first suicide prevention summit.

“You’ve got early strategies, your mid strategies, the peer support interventions, then you have social connection, and healing. So, as we bring somebody across that continuum, under each one of those you’re going to see some prevention strategies and where the work in the community is probably falling,” Sonja Engle, Mat-Su Public Health Center PHN and V.A.P.S. founding member, said.

While etching notes on a whiteboard, the group kicked around ideas and action plans to raise awareness for suicide prevention in the community and ways to help those struggling with ideation and surviving families affected by suicide.

Engle said that mental health is critical to overall health and should be just as normal to talk about as any physical health subject, like getting an X-ray or flu shot.

It’s a tough topic for most people to talk about but it’s a conversation that needs to keep going or else the number of suicides can never change, according to Justin Pendergrass, a suicide prevention specialist at MyHouse and a V.A.P.S. founding member.

“It’s going to take the entire community to make an impact,” Pendergrass said.

From screening tools to access to care, there are many avenues to suicide prevention, according to the group. Talking about mental health in general has its own set of social stigmas and suicide can easily be overlooked or misconstrued in community discussions.

Alaska has one of the highest rates of suicide in the nation, and it’s been that way for a while. The Mat-Su Valley is no exception and has its fair share of suicides each year. Pendergrass said that he wanted to put this coalition together to identify what’s being done and what can be done differently going forward.

“What aren’t we doing? That’s what we want to figure out with this coalition,” Pendergrass said.

The subject has a certain weight to it. Michael Carson, founder of Mat-Su Opioid Task Force said that people can start breaking down the stigma by simply talking about it and keeping the conversation going. He compared it to substance abuse disorder, another behavioral health subject with a stigma that often overlaps with suicide.

“If you talk about it, people will listen,” Carson said. “There are many moving parts and it is a complex and multi-faceted issue regarding suicide. However, breaking down the stigma that somehow people having those thoughts are weak is imperative.”

Pendergrass said that V.A.P.S. members are still working on the mission and vision statements since the group is still in its infancy. It formed in July but its seen steady growth since then.

“It’s a good team,” Pendergrass said.

Engle said there has been a lot of interest in the community and they’ve connected with many individuals and service providers. She said they’re going to have to turn every stone and connect every dot they can to reduce the number of suicides in the community.

“We just need everyone’s help to make that happen,” Engle said.

The coalition is planning their first summit for August 2020. It will host a variety of special speakers and vendor booths, much like MyHouse’s annual Youth Summit at the Glenn Massay Theater.

The suicide prevention summit will also be at the Massay. The coalition set a special meeting to plan the summit Jan. 10, 2020.

“I think that will be a big step for what we’re trying to do,” Pendergrass said.

Their next regular meeting is Jan. 14, 2020. Meetings fall on the second Tuesday each month at the Mat-Su Public Health Center off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

There’s a monthly peer led support group for those who’ve lost loved ones to suicide called L.O.S.S. They meet the second Tuesday every month at 7 p.m. at the Mat-Su Public Health Center. For more information, call 907-313-0298 or email notaloneinloss@gmail.com.

For more information about V.A.P.S. call 907-352-6600 and ask for Sonja or call 907-373-4357 and ask for Justin.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com