Thirteen suicides in Crawford County in 2019, Suicide Prevention Walk to be held
CRESTLINE— Thirteen Crawford County residents died by suicide in 2019 and so far in 2020, two people have died.
“There have been two suicide completions, so far, in 2020,” said Kate Siefert, Crawford County Health Commissioner.
According to the latest statistics from the Crawford County and Galion City Health Assessment for 2019, both were males, one in the 10-19 years-old age group and the other in the 40 to 49 years age group. There were five deaths by suicide in 2017 and five in 2018.
The Annual Walk for Suicide Prevention is normally held in May but this year, it is being held on Sept. 26 and that is not the only change.
Brad DeCamp of the Marion-Crawford ADAMH (Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health) Board said this year’s walk will be done virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Holding the walk virtually is the way to go right now,” said DeCamp. “Suicide is a very serious public health issue. We hold the walk to educate people on the signs that someone may be suicidal and to bring awareness to the issue. With the COVID pandemic, we are seeing even more people who are dealing with depression and other mental health issues.”
Paula Brown of the Crawford County Suicide Prevention Coalition that hosts the event said that all money collected from the walk stays in Crawford County.
“It helps to fund several programs, such as the SOS program through the local schools and workplace programs since middle-aged adults are one of the most at-risk groups,” said Brown.
According to Brown, this year participants will complete a “virtual walk” on Saturday, Sept. 26 in which each team chooses their own location within Crawford County for their walk.
“We are then asking each walker, or team of walkers, to send pictures of their walk so we can compile them on the Crawford County Suicide Prevention Coalition Facebook page,” Brown said.