Suicide Prevention & LOSS Team

The Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board is Actively Involved in the Columbiana County Suicide Prevention Coalition

Coalition Mission

The mission of the Columbiana County Suicide Prevention Coalition is to promote suicide prevention as a public health issue and to reduce factors that contribute to suicide. Coalition members include representatives from The Columbiana County Coroner’s Office, Education, Substance Use Prevention, Mental Health Treatment and Recovery, Addiction Treatment and Recovery, Clergy, Crisis Services, interested community members, and persons who have survived the loss of a loved one to suicide.

Goals of the Coalition

Provide awareness, information, and education to reduce stigma, increase identification and response to individuals considering suicide, and normalize help-seeking behaviors.
Implement training and workforce enhancements to prevent suicide.
Target prevention efforts to high risk groups including youth, middle-aged men, and persons over the age of 65.
Provide follow-up services to those affected by suicide and traumatic deaths.

LOSS Team

The Coalition also operates a Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide (LOSS) Team to assist families and loved ones who have experienced a loss due to suicide or traumatic death. The LOSS Team is a group of trained volunteers who are available to respond to the immediate needs of survivors. The goal of the LOSS Team is to let families and loved ones know they are not alone and to share information about local resources that can help them deal with their loss.

Survivors of Suicide (SOS)

The Survivors of Suicide (SOS) Support Group is facilitated by Help Network of Northeast Ohio. It meets the third Thursday of the month at 11:00 a.m., and the fourth Thursday of the month at 6:00 p.m. The meeting location is the Counseling Center, 40722 State Route 154, Lisbon. It provides support to individuals to help them cope with their loss, as well as a safe environment for people who have experienced the same type of loss to connect with each other. It is not intended to be group therapy. Contact Help Network of Northeast Ohio by calling 211 for additional information.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)

The Coalition offers free training and consultation to community groups to provide education about how to recognize and respond to someone who may need assistance.

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

QPR can be learned in a Gatekeeper course in as little as one hour. Gatekeepers can be anyone, but include parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, squad leaders, foremen, police officers, advisors, caseworkers, firefighters, and many others who are strategically positioned to recognize and refer someone at risk of suicide.

QPR-trained gatekeepers learn to

Recognize the warning signs of suicide
Know how to offer hope
Know how to get help and save a life