Helpline spreading the word on suicide prevention

 

BY JOHN L. GUERRA

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Mary Lou Hoover — like many of us — knows someone in Key West who has committed suicide.

“One of my favorite bartenders and a principal at one of our schools, each committed suicide,” Hoover said, referring in part to Adri Anna Stewart, principal of Key West Collegiate Academy Stewart left a note to her family after she shot herself in 2012.

“I’ve been doing some research and found that in 2013, while there were two homicides in the Keys, there were 32 suicides,” Hoover said. “And that number took my breath away.”

Hoover, fundraising and outreach coordinator for Switchboard 2-1-1 Helpline of The Keys, said she is reviving Helpline’s suicide prevention efforts by speaking publicly about the unacceptable high rate of suicide in Monroe County.

“The old Helpline, in addition to providing 24-hour information and referral, was primarily a suicide hotline,” Hoover told Konk Life recently. Since becoming part of Switchboard Miami, the original Helpline has grown to include reassurance calls for the elderly and homebound, Alcoholics Anonymous clients and telephone counseling for any number of crises.

“We’ve always done suicide prevention, from the old to the new Helpline, but it seems to have been lost in the shuffle of things,” Hoover said.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy Lou Caputo, who focuses on suicide prevention at the Sheriff’s Office, is adding to Hoover’s knowledge so she can address audiences about the subject.

“As part of my job for Switchboard 211 Helpline of the Keys, I will be doing outreach throughout Monroe County,” she said. In the next nine months she’ll address Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce, other business and fraternal organizations, as well as schools and churches, where pastors counsel families of suicide victims.

Caputo will join Hoover at some of her presentations to “talk about his experience while on the job with people who are contemplating suicide and the families of those who have completed their suicide,” she said.

Switchboard 211 offered Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training to the public in May and trained AIDS Help Inc. staff members to use the Question, Persuade, Refer Gatekeeper protocol. QPR teaches anyone to recognize someone thinking about suicide, to offer hope to the distressed person and information on where to get the person help.

It’s not easy to tell when someone is thinking about suicide, Hoover said.

“I don’t think there is a single, overriding reason people take their lives,” Hoover said. “But most suicide victims feel despair; about 90 percent of suicide victims have a diagnosable mental illness such as depression. Drug or alcohol addiction often plays a part in suicide.”

Among other statistics Hoover can cite: In 2012, the Keys had four homicides and 19 suicides; for every completed suicide, there are between eight and 25 attempts; suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in Florida — more than AIDS or breast cancer.

Hoover plans to raise money for Switchboard 211 Helpline of the Keys with two fundraisers.

First is “Aqua Idol,” which will raise money at 6:30 p.m., every Tuesday until Dec. 23 at Aqua Key West, 711 Duval St. Contestants vie for tips, which go to Helpline’s suicide awareness efforts.

Secondly, the 32nd Annual Jazz Brunch, at Azur Restaurant on Dec. 6, with two sessions, one from 10 to 10:30 a.m. and the second from noon to 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 and include a welcome mimosa, the chef’s amuse-bouche, a choice from six entrees and dessert. Call 305-292-2987 for reservations. When making reservations tell them it’s for the Helpline brunch.

 

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