Trending
HANCOCK -- Copper Shores Community Health Foundation hosted a two-day ASIST Suicide Prevention Training this week at UP Health Systems -- Portage Hospital. The training was aimed at educating the community on what to do when someone is showing signs of wanting to commit suicide.
Outreach and Education Program Director Kristine Martens said people should know the signs for an issue few know is common. "There are many folks that live in our community that are thinking about suicide and could use somebody to talk to and use someone to care for them," she said. "We do know if people get help, they can live longer."
The training class saw 13 residents registered. According to Martens, many different types of people come to suicide prevention trainings Copper Shores offers. "We get a little bit of everything. We get community members, we get agency folks, we get folks who come from the facility we're hosting at," she said. "Anybody who wants to help somebody who might be thinking about suicide."
According to the National Institute of Health, between 2020 and 2024, seven people in Houghton County committed suicide per year, on average.
Participants in ASIST learn how to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. According to the Copper Shores ASIST webpage, once the training is completed, participants will understand how suicide is perceived socially, learn how to provide guidance to those in crisis, learn how to properly implement safety plans and to recognize the value of integrating suicide prevention within the community.
Martens said learning how to manage a crisis and how to effetely implement a safety plan is a key reason why this training is important. "The big thing is, we're going to teach you how to intervene if someone is thinking about suicide and work to keep them safe for now," she said. "We're also going to help you be a better listener."
Participants in the training sessions received breakfast and lunch, as well as worksheets and a training packet. Martens added people often have misconceptions about suicide prevention and get tunnel vision when trying to solve the immediate problem.
"When we do this class, we'll have folks that come in and very focused on, 'well, this is the kind of work I do... I'm going to take this training so I can help the people I work with,'" she said. "But we try to open your eyes -- this could be anybody."
Copper Shores offers ASIST training to various organizations across the Copper Country. If you or your organization is interested in having this training, contact Martens at kmartens@coppershores.org or by calling 906-523-5920 ext. 2060.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, help is available. Call 988 for crisis help or visit michigan.gov/mdhhs/keep-mi-healthy/mentalhealth/crisis-and-access-line.