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Zero Suicides Elko County prevention event

Elko Daily Free Press - 4/26/2022

Apr. 25—ELKO — Zero Suicide Elko County is hosting a free event for health care providers, concerned parents and anyone who is interested in helping prevent suicide in the community.

Zero Suicides member and Great Basin College social work coordinator/instructor Wendy Charlebois is helping with Saturday's activities.

Showing a chart that listed 23 suicides last year, Charlebois said the number was up from 14 in 2020.

"We get our stats from the Sheriff's Department," she said.

Rising numbers are exactly what Zero Suicide Elko County does not want to see.

"Let's Talk About Suicide Prevention and Foster Health, Hope and Healing" will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.April 30 at the Boys and Girls Cub. Those interested in attending should register by contacting Skyler Basanez at sbasanez@ecsdnv.net.

Clint Malarchuk, a former Canadian hockey player (the cowboy goalie) and suicide survivor is the keynote speaker. Malarchuk nearly died by accident on the ice. A number of years later, he nearly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Now he is a professional speaker and mental health advocate.

Malarchuk is author of "The Crazy Game: How I Survived in the Crease and Beyond," published in 2014.

"You don't know what it's like to live with my brain. Everything would be so much better if I could just turn off my head. It would be so much easier on everyone," wrote Malarchuk in 'Bleeding Out," printed in 2018.

Then he shot himself. Now, after wound recovery, mental health counseling and sobriety, he has a new purpose — to help others.

Charlesbois said the training is being offered because of the upward trend in local suicides.

"Larry Robb, who is head of Safe Schools Professional that they have in schools now, is seeing an increase in kids coming in that are cutting themselves, hurting themselves with depression, all of that," she said.

Besides Malarchuk, who is now a rancher in Gardnerville, there are a number of other speakers including Hayley Marsh and Laura Yanez from National Alliance on Mental Health of Western Nevada; Taryn Hiatt from American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; and Wylee Mitchell, a student advocate for suicide prevention and mental health.

Following a lunch provided by Odeh's, Safe Talk begins.

"This is the really important part," Charlebois said. "This is usually a $60 training. It lasts for three hours. You learn a way to talk to people who may be experiencing depression, who have suicidal thoughts; what to do, what to say. Anybody 15 years old and up can take this for free."

"You know that National Night Out we have at the park every year?" Charlebois asked. "We do a booth and you cannot believe how many people walk by that booth and say, 'Can I have some information?'" Then they will share how they have been affected by suicide.

Charlebois said this is a timely event because Nevada Health Centers received funding and they are really ramping up their behavioral health care.

"What they want to do is get therapists on site."

She said the hospital is also moving forward with improvements in mental health prevention and treatment.

"They want to have an outpatient clinic and then they want to open up that third floor to be a temporary stabilization for people with suicidal idealization, severe depression, mental health issues."

Nevada Outdoor School is providing activities for the young children of parents who want to attend.

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