(ITHACA, NY, September 23, 2024) – Tompkins County Whole Health (TCWH) is sharing with the community about an upcoming event, sponsored by the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition. The Coalition invites the community to join them for an educational and supportive town hall focused on youth mental health and wellness and suicide prevention. The event will feature multiple presentations, including the voices of young people with lived experience of mental health challenges who have built resiliency in their journey.
The Youth Mental Health & Wellness Community Town Hall will be held on Saturday, October 5th, from 12:30pm-3:30pm at the Tompkins County Public Library (101 E. Green St, Ithaca), in the Borg Warner Room. This event is free and open to the public to attend. Light refreshments will be available. Free parking will be available at Family & Children’s Services of Ithaca (behind their office building at 127 W. State St, Ithaca, off N. Geneva St.). Registration is encouraged to allow event organizers to communicate with attendees of any changes to the event as well as manage headcount. Register online at: https://bit.ly/4gsfGr6
The first half of the event, from 1pm-2:20pm, will include short Ted-talk style presentations with an opportunity for Q & A with community partners like Melanie Little (Director of Training and Peer Education at the Mental Health Association of Tompkins County) and Tiffany Bloss (Executive Director of Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County). School Psychologist and Author Shawn Goodman will share anecdotes from their book How to Survive Your Parents, and Nicole Roulstin (211 Tompkins/Cortland Call Center Manager) will provide an exploration of community resources.
The second half of the event, from 2:25pm-3:30pm will begin with Pat Breux, formerly with the Suicide Prevention Center of New York, who will share about school initiatives happening across the state, followed by youth and young people sharing their lived experience stories.
Representatives from community organizations will be on-hand to answer questions about their programs and provide resources. Event attendees will also receive an informational care package. The event will provide space for anyone who needs or wants to step away, talk with someone for support or to make some fun self-care items.
A full schedule of the event can be found online. The event is open to the general public and flexible; attendees are welcome to attend as much of the event as they are able to. Youth and their caregivers are encouraged to attend.
The Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition is comprised of health agencies, community organizations, and individual members who share a determination to prevent suicide deaths in our community. It is a collective of volunteers that strives for diverse and inclusive representation and encourages collaboration for achieving goals. The Coalition draws inspiration and purpose from The Watershed Declaration of 2017, a call to action by Tompkins County mental health leaders to renew our community’s commitment to suicide prevention. Learn more: tompkinscountyny.gov/health/tcspc
The media is invited to attend a media briefing about the Town Hall and the community's intensifying suicide prevention efforts on Friday, September 27th from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The briefing will take place at the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County’s Administrative Office at 124 E. Court Street in Ithaca, featuring SPCS Executive Director Tiffany Bloss and other leaders in the field. Media questions about the briefing should be directed to Tiffany Bloss, blosst@ithacacrisis.org.
Media contact: Shannon Alvord, salvord@tompkins-co.org
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