Suicide prevention and awareness in the Town of Hempstead

September is Suicide Awareness Month, and the Town of Hempstead and the Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation have teamed up for the second straight year to present a suicide prevention and awareness event at the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion in Hempstead on Sept. 12.

Starting at 7 p.m., the event will include presentations from John O’Shea, the vice president of the foundation, and Sources of Strength, an organization that partners with schools across the United States and Canada to train youth and adults, “utilizing a strength-based and upstream approach to mental health promotion and prevention of adverse outcomes,” according to the Sources of Strength website.

Mary and John O’Shea created the Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation in 2019 after their son, Ryan, died by suicide on Jan. 11, 2019. The foundation works to increase mental health awareness and provide support to people in crisis. Sources of Strength, an organization supported by the Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation, provide training and support to professionals and youth with the same goal.

The first collaborative event between the town and foundation took place last September, with presentations from O’Shea and Sources of Strength. This year’s event will have presentations from more groups, including first responders and school districts that have implemented the Sources of Strength program.

“We’re expecting it to be bigger and better and more well-attended,” Councilman Laura Ryder said of this year’s event. “As of right now, it looks like our goals are going to be achieved and it’s going to be a very successful event.”

The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of mental health and provide education and resources for people who struggle with mental health. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for people ages 10 to 14 and 25 to 34, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and it remains one of the 12 leading causes of death for people in all age groups.

Ryder said the town is dedicated to reducing the stigma of mental illness and showing people in crisis that they have a support network.

“We’re aware that mental illness is extremely prevalent now, particularly in young people, and we want to do whatever we can to help those in need,” she said.

For more information on the event, call (516) 812-3252. If you or someone you know is in a crisis, call or text 988.