Event Details

Program:             Suicide Awareness and QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer

Speaker:              James Graham & the Veterans Coalition of Northwest Montana

Date:                     Thursday, October 10^th, 2024

Time:                    11:30am-1:00pm

                                Legislative updates & introduction with the speaker to follow.

Place:                    FVCC, Arts & Technology Building, Room 139

                                777 Grandview Drive, Kalispell, MT 59901

                                Zoom option available for those joining remote.

Program Content

Amidst the wrenching and exhaustive changes at work, mental health is top of mind for most HR professionals. As employers demand ever more output from workers, HR thought leaders must support employees experiencing high levels of workplace stress, anxiety and depression. It gets even more challenging; our role requires us to acknowledge the very real danger that suicide poses, especially among our veteran population.

The good news— there are ways to fight suicide.  James and his team will share a powerful, practical tool that offers real hope and support that combats suicide: QPR. Just as CPR is designed for the layman to keep someone alive until professional help arrives, QPR is a tool for the person on the street to offer hope to another in crisis.

Mission of the Veterans Coalition of Northwest Montana: Their story in their own words...

“We’re a veterans' organization created by veterans for veterans. We are non-profit; we have received funding from the federal VA Office of Rural Health.

We are every-day veterans trying to assist other every-day veterans who are having problems navigating through some of the issues stressing them in every-day life. These issues may be affecting the veteran him-or herself or their families and can range from physical and mental challenges to day-to-day struggles with finances, food, clothing, school, work or transportation.

We might not have all the needed solutions, but we're pretty good at finding someone who does. All this works toward our real underlying goal...trying to curb or stop the alarming incidence of veterans dying by their own hands–Suicide!

The Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D. C., lists the names of 58,318 men and women who died in combat during that conflict. Since the closing days of fighting in Vietnam, an estimated more than 150,000 veterans additionally have taken their own lives after returning home.

There are no real hard numbers yet on the veterans from Desert Storm, Afghanistan and other more recent conflicts who've died by suicide. The average number per day nationally is between 20 and 22.

A significant number of veterans, young and old, distrust the VA and want nothing to do with it; Many will deal only marginally with close friends and family, and some won't talk to anyone other than another vet. Often the chances of a vet in crisis crossing paths with a help professional are slim; but the odds of the vet having contact with a spouse, kids, neighbor, work mate, even the check-out clerk at the grocery store are immensely greater.”

Takeaways

• Enter QPR! QPR (Question – Persuade – Refer) is a nationally recognized, easy-to-learn short course in recognizing symptoms and signals–verbal and subtle non-verbal clues–suggesting that a person might be considering taking their own life.
• Often this comes via depression and a hopeless feeling that no other reasonable alternative exists as a way out from under their perceived emotional load.
• QPR classes are free, about 90 minutes long, and are available to anyone and everyone.
• We are trained and certified instructors and we will teach QPR to any group large or small. While we are biased toward veterans in need, QPR is for the entire community
• A suicide is a suicide. A death by suicide is no less painful whether it involves a veteran or non-veteran. Just as CPR is designed for the layman to keep someone alive until professional help can take over, QPR is a tool for the person on street to offer hope to another in crisis and get them connected with appropriate help and counseling...and ultimately save a life!