As the newly elected President of the SPCS Board of Directors, I feel honored and privileged to be a small part of this awesome community organization. As a nurse and paramedic for over 40 years, I have had to care for many patients and families dealing and living with suicide events … all those situations were characterized by some degree of pain, fear, despair, helplessness, and hopelessness. Some of those situations involved dear friends, co-workers, and community members well-known to me. Always, the question for me was “why” and what would have helped to prevent this tragedy?
Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service represents the “greater good” in our society; it can be, and often is, part of that prevention answer. Recently, my granddaughter was driving out of state when she received word that a friend was missing … a friend that she thought might be at risk for contemplating suicide. I reached out to the Crisisline to ask for suggestions to help my granddaughter and the missing person’s family. Although the crisis was not mine in an immediate sense, the warm, caring, and compassionate listening on the other end of the line was reassuring and comforting … and that is, and has always been, the mission that SPCS has carried out in our community since 1969.
Beth Harrington
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