Aberdeen, WA - Grays Harbor Community Hospital and Mark Reed Emergency Departments, EMS providers, and Public Health are teaming up to monitor suicide attempts among young people. The new reporting system is intended to give public health officials more insight into the suicidal behavior of local young people, and to enable mental health and public health workers to be ready to help youth-serving agencies and individuals understand and respond quickly when local young people may be in distress over such an event. The system is modeled after a very successful effort in Oregon, some information is already available to us about deaths from suicide, but we really don’t know what is happening with suicide attempts. Understanding all of this better has helped the state of Oregon prevent youth suicides, so we think it is an important and worthwhile effort. - Joan Brewster, Grays Harbor’s Public Health Director
The new reporting requirement, which applies only to hospital emergency rooms, will be in effect for one year so that the effort can be evaluated. The new reporting system begins on August 1. Reporting will continue after one year only if the effort is shown to provide community benefit.
We are concerned about suicide among our young people and happy to support Public Health in this effort, we want to do whatever we can to help our community prevent youth suicide. - David Quigg, the Director of Public Relations for Grays Harbor Community Hospital
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