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Community DC Ellen Shannon AFSP · Community D.C.

0:00
Speaker 1: Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community DC.
0:03
Speaker 1: I'm your host Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we welcome back
0:05
Speaker 1: to the program, Ellen Shannon. She is a longtime executive
0:09
Speaker 1: director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, also known
0:12
Speaker 1: as AFSP, and her conversation is timely as May's Mental
0:16
Speaker 1: Health Awareness Month, the focus is on fostering community support,
0:20
Speaker 1: reducing stigma, and improving well being through the theme more
0:23
Speaker 1: good days together and don't forget that if you a
0:26
Speaker 1: loved one or a coworker or a need of help,
0:28
Speaker 1: you can call the nine eight eight Suicide Crisis Hotline
0:31
Speaker 1: twenty four to seven.
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Speaker 2: Good morning, Ellen, Good morning Dennis. How are you doing.
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Speaker 1: I'm great and it's great to have you back on
0:37
Speaker 1: Community DC. It's been a while since we've chatted with
0:40
Speaker 1: you about AFSP capital areas. So what I'd like to do,
0:43
Speaker 1: Even though you've been on the show several times and
0:45
Speaker 1: are such a wonderful guest and you have a great
0:47
Speaker 1: partnership with iHeart DC one to one and Mike Jones
0:49
Speaker 1: in Afternoon Drive, I did want to kind of reset
0:51
Speaker 1: about AFSP for the new listeners and may not know
0:54
Speaker 1: too much about your nonprofits, so first of all, tell
0:57
Speaker 1: us what you do, and tell us about the history of.
0:59
Speaker 3: Aff Yes, for sure, Well, thank you so much for
1:02
Speaker 3: having me back.
1:03
Speaker 2: It's always such a pleasure.
1:04
Speaker 3: AFSP is the leading organization in the fight to stop suicide.
1:09
Speaker 3: We've been around since nineteen eighty seven and we are
1:12
Speaker 3: well established, and we are actually the largest private funder
1:17
Speaker 3: of suicide prevention research in the world, which is so
1:21
Speaker 3: incredible and so vital to our mission to save lives
1:24
Speaker 3: and bring hope to those affected by suicide.
1:27
Speaker 2: Because through research we have learned that suicide is preventable,
1:31
Speaker 2: and through research we can learn how suicide impacts different
1:35
Speaker 2: communities in different ways, and what we can all do
1:38
Speaker 2: to protect ourselves and identify risk factors and warning signs,
1:44
Speaker 2: and of course take efforts to prevent this leading cause
1:48
Speaker 2: of death in the United States and all across the world.
1:51
Speaker 3: So we've been around a long time, and in addition
1:54
Speaker 3: to funding research, we also have many educational programs, lots
1:59
Speaker 3: of resources, all of which are offered to our communities
2:02
Speaker 3: at no cost to our constituents. And we also have
2:07
Speaker 3: wonderful community events, resources and programs for survivors of suicide laws.
2:12
Speaker 3: And we also advocate at the national, state and local
2:15
Speaker 3: level to work with our elected officials to make suicide
2:19
Speaker 3: prevention a priority and to pass laws that we know
2:22
Speaker 3: will save lives.
2:23
Speaker 1: So as a longtime executive director at AFSP, you can
2:26
Speaker 1: see that Ellen's been team you have for all the
2:28
Speaker 1: cool things we're about to talk about over the next
2:30
Speaker 1: thirty minutes, like donations and volunteering and events and programs
2:34
Speaker 1: and all the incredible things that you do. And we
2:36
Speaker 1: are going to talk about the construction industry. We did
2:38
Speaker 1: that last time because it was just starting up, but
2:40
Speaker 1: I know things are really changed for the better, even
2:42
Speaker 1: more working with that industry and a lot of other things.
2:45
Speaker 1: But what I'd like to do first of all is
2:48
Speaker 1: talk about the nine to eight eight line, because I
2:50
Speaker 1: know this is ultra important. I'd like to know about
2:52
Speaker 1: the history of it. And then for the people who
2:54
Speaker 1: maybe've heard of but don't know too much about it,
2:56
Speaker 1: it really is an extraordinary three sixty five twenty four
2:59
Speaker 1: seven hotline for anybody that might be in danger or
3:02
Speaker 1: not feeling well, and I want you to talk about that.
3:04
Speaker 1: So can you go over the history of it, and
3:06
Speaker 1: then AFSP's involvement in it, because it really is truly
3:09
Speaker 1: ex extraordinary. What a cool and easy thing it is,
3:11
Speaker 1: but how it helps thousands of people have done hundreds
3:13
Speaker 1: of thousands of people every day.
3:15
Speaker 3: Well, thank you so much for bringing this up, because
3:17
Speaker 3: this is really an incredible resource a FSP. As I mentioned,
3:21
Speaker 3: we've been advocating for many, many years, working with our
3:24
Speaker 3: elected officials, and one of the things that we have
3:27
Speaker 3: spent years and years and years on advocating for is
3:31
Speaker 3: the nine eight eight suicide and Crisis Lifeline prior to
3:35
Speaker 3: nine eight eight getting passed, which was passed several years
3:38
Speaker 3: ago and is now available in all fifty states swallows
3:42
Speaker 3: the District of Columbia twenty four seven three sixty five.
3:47
Speaker 3: Prior to this three digit number getting designated, the number
3:50
Speaker 3: used to be one eight hundred and two seven three
3:52
Speaker 3: eight two five five. I'm personally shocked that I remember
3:57
Speaker 3: that phone number, and I do this for a living
4:00
Speaker 3: all day of my life, that I can't even begin
4:03
Speaker 3: to imagine what someone who may not be so familiar
4:06
Speaker 3: with it, but also someone who's in a moment of crisis,
4:10
Speaker 3: I find it very difficult for someone to remember that
4:13
Speaker 3: phone number in that given time. So it was something
4:17
Speaker 3: that we truly advocated for, and we're so proud that
4:20
Speaker 3: it actually got past unanimously through both the Health and
4:25
Speaker 3: the Senate, which is you know, we're in DC. We
4:27
Speaker 3: knew that's something that's pretty much unheard of, and it
4:30
Speaker 3: was signed into law. And so we are very proud
4:33
Speaker 3: of the nine eight eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. And
4:36
Speaker 3: I want everyone to know not only is it available
4:39
Speaker 3: at any point in time, but you don't have to
4:42
Speaker 3: be in a moment of crisis to reach out and
4:45
Speaker 3: use it as a resource for support. If you are
4:50
Speaker 3: worried about someone and you are not sure if the
4:54
Speaker 3: science that you're seeing are caused for concerning you just
4:57
Speaker 3: want to talk it out with a trained person and
5:00
Speaker 3: just say, you know, I've seen my friend or my
5:02
Speaker 3: loved one doing this or experiencing these, you know, this
5:06
Speaker 3: kind of behavior, but I'm not really sure what can
5:09
Speaker 3: I do? You can reach out and talk to someone
5:12
Speaker 3: simply about that and learn more about resources and just
5:17
Speaker 3: talk through whatever it is you may be going through
5:19
Speaker 3: or a loved one maybe going through. But of course
5:22
Speaker 3: it is also available for moments of crisis and things
5:26
Speaker 3: along those lines. And so I can't advocate for this enough,
5:30
Speaker 3: you know, take nine to eighty eight down, put it
5:33
Speaker 3: in your cell phone and always have it handy and
5:37
Speaker 3: know that it's always there as an opportunity to reach
5:40
Speaker 3: out and find some support. And if also too, you
5:43
Speaker 3: can simply just call and have a conversation with the
5:45
Speaker 3: carrying individual on the other end.
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Speaker 2: It really is useful in so many different ways.
5:50
Speaker 1: And one more thing about that, and thanks for explaining it.
5:53
Speaker 1: It's really an extraordinary easy thing to do out there.
5:56
Speaker 1: You mentioned trained people, and they are trained. They're regular
5:59
Speaker 1: folk like you and I, but they are trained to
6:02
Speaker 1: talk in any kind of situation. Correct.
6:05
Speaker 3: Yes, they are absolutely trained in crisis response.
6:08
Speaker 2: And in most cases it may.
6:11
Speaker 3: Not be true in more rural areas, but in most
6:14
Speaker 3: cases they are able to connect you if you do
6:17
Speaker 3: need immediate crisis response, they can connect you with local resources.
6:22
Speaker 2: Things like mobile units and things along those.
6:24
Speaker 3: Lines to get you the care that you need in
6:27
Speaker 3: a moment of crisis. And so when you do call,
6:31
Speaker 3: you are routed to an individual in your community area,
6:35
Speaker 3: at least in close proximity to your community, which is
6:38
Speaker 3: really truly wonderful. But yes, all of these individuals on
6:42
Speaker 3: the end are trained in crisis response, specifically in response
6:46
Speaker 3: to suicide prevention crisis.
6:47
Speaker 1: Ellen, I'd like you to talk a little bit about
6:49
Speaker 1: data and what the latest you have. And you know,
6:53
Speaker 1: when we talk to wonderful people like you that do
6:55
Speaker 1: this for a living in your nonprofit, we're you know,
6:58
Speaker 1: first of all, tough subject matter. We know that we
7:00
Speaker 1: talk about it because we need to. And number two,
7:02
Speaker 1: I know the data is always a little shocking to
7:04
Speaker 1: people out there when they hear numbers capitillary I know
7:07
Speaker 1: is your baby, And maybe you can talk a little
7:09
Speaker 1: bit about that, about the latest numbers when it comes
7:11
Speaker 1: to died by suicide, and maybe some of the demographics
7:13
Speaker 1: while I know it doesn't disseminate any certain type of
7:17
Speaker 1: population because it really covers quite a few people all
7:19
Speaker 1: over at any age, race, color, or creed, but also
7:23
Speaker 1: maybe the national numbers that we're currently looking at, can
7:26
Speaker 1: you go over some of the data just to enlighten
7:27
Speaker 1: us about what you're looking at, what you're dealing with
7:29
Speaker 1: on a daily basis.
7:30
Speaker 3: So we know, first of all, suicide impacts all communities.
7:36
Speaker 2: Every single one.
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Speaker 3: Now some of the communities are impacted in different ways
7:41
Speaker 3: than others. And then as for a variety of reasons,
7:43
Speaker 3: depending on what types of populations we're talking about, but
7:47
Speaker 3: we know that the vast majority of Americans will be
7:51
Speaker 3: personally impacted by suicide at some point in their life.
7:55
Speaker 3: And we can be looking at this from losing someone
7:57
Speaker 3: to suicide, to experience a personal struggle with suicidal ideation,
8:02
Speaker 3: or lived experience as an attempt survivor, or just you know,
8:08
Speaker 3: supporting a loved one or a friend who has struggled.
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Speaker 2: So you know, this is really something that impacts all
8:14
Speaker 2: of us.
8:15
Speaker 3: And when looking at the national love numbers, we lose
8:19
Speaker 3: approximately fifty thousand people to suicide in the United States
8:24
Speaker 3: every single year, and of course that's really disheartening, especially
8:28
Speaker 3: because we know that this is a preventable leading cause
8:31
Speaker 3: of death. But I also want to touch on some
8:35
Speaker 3: statistics about those with lived experience. We also know that,
8:39
Speaker 3: in addition to those who we lose to suicide each year,
8:43
Speaker 3: that many, many more individuals survive a suicide attempt. In fact,
8:48
Speaker 3: it's well over one point two it's between one point
8:51
Speaker 3: two and one point three million individuals in the United
8:54
Speaker 3: States survive a suicide attempt every year.
8:59
Speaker 2: And the thing that I want to remind everyone about that.
9:02
Speaker 3: Is that if someone has experienced suicidal ideation or has
9:05
Speaker 3: survived an attempt. The idea that that individual will go
9:09
Speaker 3: on to die by suicide as a foregone conclusion simply
9:12
Speaker 3: as inaccurate. And I want to make sure that we
9:16
Speaker 3: are really emphasizing this is where prevention comes into play, right,
9:20
Speaker 3: So those who are struggling, those who have survived suicide
9:23
Speaker 3: attempts can find support. There's you know, through the American
9:27
Speaker 3: Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we provide lots of services and
9:32
Speaker 3: resources and programs, but for anything that we don't provide ourselves,
9:36
Speaker 3: we can also be that connector for you to find
9:38
Speaker 3: that support in the community as well. And so you know,
9:41
Speaker 3: while these numbers are staggering and very concerning, especially as
9:46
Speaker 3: we see suicide rates going up in certain communities, I
9:51
Speaker 3: do want to really emphasize that there is a lot
9:53
Speaker 3: of help and there is a lot of help hope
9:55
Speaker 3: out there to support those who are struggling.
9:58
Speaker 1: A phrase that you've used this interview and I've used
10:01
Speaker 1: in something I learned from you about four years ago
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Speaker 1: when I was introduced to you, is the phrase died
10:06
Speaker 1: by suicide. And yeah, for that I knew, like everybody else,
10:10
Speaker 1: a phraseology that has been used for a very long time.
10:12
Speaker 1: Committed suicide. Tell us why died by suicide is the
10:16
Speaker 1: correct way to say that.
10:17
Speaker 3: So when we're talking about suicide, we're talking about a
10:21
Speaker 3: complex health issue, right, And when we use the term commit,
10:27
Speaker 3: we are attaching stigma, even whether you're doing it intentionally
10:30
Speaker 3: or unintentionally.
10:32
Speaker 2: And I honestly do believe using.
10:35
Speaker 3: The term committed is so ingrained in our cultural vernacular
10:39
Speaker 3: that most people don't think about what.
10:41
Speaker 2: They're saying when they're saying it.
10:43
Speaker 3: So I do believe that more commonly than not, it
10:46
Speaker 3: is unintentional judgment that is attached.
10:50
Speaker 2: To that word.
10:51
Speaker 3: But I appreciate you bringing this up because words matter, right,
10:54
Speaker 3: and we're talking about creating a culture that is smarter
10:58
Speaker 3: about mental health. And when talking about things, especially over
11:03
Speaker 3: time and in our everyday lives, whether it's on air
11:06
Speaker 3: and us having a very public conversation or just having
11:09
Speaker 3: private conversations with those around us, the words that we
11:12
Speaker 3: use are incredibly important and they can either perpetuate stigma,
11:16
Speaker 3: prevent people from wanting to seek help, and frankly be dangerous.
11:21
Speaker 3: In many situations. The term committed itself is typically attached
11:28
Speaker 3: to a criminal act right, and that's not what we're
11:31
Speaker 3: talking about here today. We're talking about a complex health issue,
11:34
Speaker 3: and so to put in other terms, you wouldn't say
11:36
Speaker 3: somebody committed a heart attack or somebody committed cancer, and
11:41
Speaker 3: so as a health issue, we should talk about it
11:44
Speaker 3: as such, and so alternative phrases that we can use
11:48
Speaker 3: our died by suicide killed themselves. You know, we want
11:53
Speaker 3: to be very frank about what we're talking about it,
11:56
Speaker 3: but we want to be factual, right, and we want
11:58
Speaker 3: to be respectful also when talking about it an attempt.
12:01
Speaker 3: I also really want to emphasize we should always avoid
12:06
Speaker 3: using other words of judgment.
12:08
Speaker 2: Like a failed or successful attempt.
12:12
Speaker 3: I think that's pretty obvious once you start thinking about
12:14
Speaker 3: why maybe we.
12:14
Speaker 2: Shouldn't use those words.
12:16
Speaker 3: But they're also unnecessary because this word attempt itself explains
12:21
Speaker 3: that the person survived, so there's no reason to even
12:24
Speaker 3: use those words in the first place. But we definitely
12:27
Speaker 3: want to avoid attaching judgment to this because we.
12:29
Speaker 2: Know that judgment can be harmful to our cause.
12:32
Speaker 3: It can prevent people from seeking help, it can make
12:36
Speaker 3: people feel very isolated, and we just want to be
12:40
Speaker 3: here to support our community and support one another, and
12:43
Speaker 3: we know that the vast majority of Americans do believe
12:47
Speaker 3: that suicide is preventable and would do something to help
12:51
Speaker 3: someone that.
12:51
Speaker 2: They knew and they love too was struggling.
12:53
Speaker 3: And so this is a very easy thing that all
12:55
Speaker 3: of us could do is to retrain how we talk
12:58
Speaker 3: about this, to use more words that are accurate but
13:02
Speaker 3: also really support one another and encourage help seeking in
13:06
Speaker 3: our community.
13:07
Speaker 1: Greed, and thanks for giving that context. I really appreciate that.
13:09
Speaker 1: I did want to talk to you and we t
13:11
Speaker 1: used about the construction industry. We talked about this about
13:13
Speaker 1: a half a year ago. I know it was kind
13:15
Speaker 1: of a new partnership that you were working on. The
13:17
Speaker 1: data really is extraordinary for the construction industry and died
13:21
Speaker 1: by suicide. I want you to go into that a
13:23
Speaker 1: little bit. And then as we air this interview in May,
13:25
Speaker 1: that's a big month for you. I know every month
13:28
Speaker 1: is a big month, but that is a very big
13:29
Speaker 1: month for you and also an event with the construction industry.
13:32
Speaker 1: But first let's talk about the construction industry. Why did
13:35
Speaker 1: you decide at AFSP Capital Area to work with the
13:38
Speaker 1: construction industry.
13:40
Speaker 3: Well, we know that when it comes according to the
13:42
Speaker 3: CDC data that we have, and again I really want
13:45
Speaker 3: to emphasize that AFSP as an organization, there is nothing.
13:49
Speaker 2: That we do that is not backed up in research
13:52
Speaker 2: and founded in science. That is the heart of everything
13:55
Speaker 2: we do.
13:55
Speaker 3: We are a research organization and that's where we look
13:59
Speaker 3: to figure out where are we going to focus our efforts.
14:04
Speaker 3: And the data that we have out of the CDC
14:06
Speaker 3: is very concerning when it comes to both the construction,
14:09
Speaker 3: construction and extraction industries. That we know that when it
14:12
Speaker 3: comes to occupational risk, the construction and extraction industries are
14:17
Speaker 3: at the most at risk for suicide compared to other professions,
14:23
Speaker 3: and that is for a variety of reasons which we
14:25
Speaker 3: can certainly get into, but we knew that this was
14:30
Speaker 3: an issue, and we know that this is a community
14:32
Speaker 3: that needs our attention and our support and certainly needs
14:36
Speaker 3: more research to understand why this is happening. Right, And so,
14:42
Speaker 3: a couple of years ago, just to give you a
14:43
Speaker 3: little bit of background, Bechtel, which is a major construction
14:48
Speaker 3: company within the industry, came to a FSP and approached us,
14:53
Speaker 3: and you know, they had acknowledged this as a huge
14:57
Speaker 3: problem within the industry and look to us as the
15:00
Speaker 3: leading organization in the fight to stop suicide. They came
15:04
Speaker 3: to us and wanted to partner, and they made a
15:06
Speaker 3: sizeable investment in our organization, upwards of seven million dollars
15:12
Speaker 3: to invest in research for AFSB, to invest in infrastructure
15:17
Speaker 3: to support research, programming resources and community events and all
15:24
Speaker 3: those things that could engage and support the construction industry.
15:28
Speaker 3: And so over the past several years, we have been
15:32
Speaker 3: not only developing a brand new educational program which we
15:35
Speaker 3: rolled out last fall called Talk Saves Lives Preventing Suicide
15:40
Speaker 3: in the Construction Industry. And one thing I love about
15:44
Speaker 3: this program that I just have to highlight is that
15:48
Speaker 3: it's not just an educational program to be done on
15:51
Speaker 3: a virtual conversation or a zoom or in a boardroom or.
15:55
Speaker 2: Something, you know, in an office space.
15:57
Speaker 3: We will get up at the cot of dawn and
16:01
Speaker 3: we will we can go out to construction sites and
16:04
Speaker 3: meet these workers where they are, and we'll show up
16:07
Speaker 3: with coffee and snacks and you know, get people pept
16:10
Speaker 3: up in the morning and share this life saving information
16:13
Speaker 3: in this program out in the field on the job
16:15
Speaker 3: sites where these construction workers are. And so if anybody's
16:19
Speaker 3: listening that works within the construction industry, we will come
16:23
Speaker 3: to you. We will meet you where you are, and
16:25
Speaker 3: so please reach out to us. And it's not just
16:27
Speaker 3: in the national capital area. We're doing this all across
16:30
Speaker 3: the country. We have seventy three chapters in all fifty states, Washington,
16:34
Speaker 3: d C. And Puerto Rico. And we offer these programs
16:37
Speaker 3: in English as well as in Spanish. So please please
16:40
Speaker 3: take advantage of them. That they're fantastic resources, but they
16:43
Speaker 3: do no goods that they just stay in our hands.
16:45
Speaker 2: We need to get them in your hands. And so
16:48
Speaker 2: the tok.
16:49
Speaker 3: Saves Lies program that we've rolled out is absolutely phenomenal
16:52
Speaker 3: and it's been so well received. But we've also partnered
16:56
Speaker 3: with several construction industry companies to build a culturally competent
17:03
Speaker 3: website called hard haatcourage dot com.
17:08
Speaker 2: Hardhack courage dot com.
17:09
Speaker 3: It is one stop shopping for all things suicide prevention
17:13
Speaker 3: within the construction industry.
17:15
Speaker 2: You can go on there to not only.
17:17
Speaker 3: Find information about the Talk Saves Lives program I just shared,
17:21
Speaker 3: but to find other resources. Toolbox Talks information about our
17:25
Speaker 3: upcoming construction Height for Hope events which are happening all
17:28
Speaker 3: across the country as well, and just everything about you know,
17:32
Speaker 3: there's shared stories on there, there's information about where can
17:36
Speaker 3: you find support, what resources are out there to help you,
17:39
Speaker 3: how to have a conversation with a colleague or you know,
17:42
Speaker 3: somebody within the industry that you may be worried about.
17:45
Speaker 2: You know, there's so much on there.
17:47
Speaker 3: I could go on all day, but I really want
17:49
Speaker 3: to encourage everyone to go to hardhackcourage dot com and
17:52
Speaker 3: check it out. It's a wonderful, wonderful resource and platform.
17:56
Speaker 1: That's great and I love it that your boots on
17:58
Speaker 1: the ground. And this makes sense because I kind of
18:00
Speaker 1: equate this and just hear me out on this. There's
18:04
Speaker 1: a lot of dudes that don't like to go to
18:05
Speaker 1: the doctor. I know that because I was one of
18:07
Speaker 1: them at one time. As I got older, I'm going regularly,
18:10
Speaker 1: and folks go to the doctor if you don't feel well.
18:12
Speaker 1: I highly recommend it because if you can get in
18:15
Speaker 1: front of something, and I think that's the point here too.
18:17
Speaker 1: When there's predominantly men in the construction industry, even though
18:20
Speaker 1: there are women that work in the industry, You're seeing
18:23
Speaker 1: data and I like you to talk about why the
18:24
Speaker 1: construction industry is seeing different levels and maybe other parts
18:27
Speaker 1: of society out there have died by suicide. But with
18:32
Speaker 1: that said, with you being in person, if somebody is
18:35
Speaker 1: feeling uncomfortable and going to a website thinks they're going
18:37
Speaker 1: to be tracked or embarrassed about that, that you were
18:39
Speaker 1: there physically can talk about it. It's kind of in
18:42
Speaker 1: their face and they can't avoid it, and they're probably
18:44
Speaker 1: going to be able to hear something that they normally
18:45
Speaker 1: wouldn't because they didn't want to go to that next step.
18:48
Speaker 1: Am I in the right direction on that?
18:51
Speaker 2: Yeah?
18:51
Speaker 3: I mean there's a lot of reasons that people may
18:55
Speaker 3: feel uncomfortable connecting. They might not be in the right
18:57
Speaker 3: head space at that moment in time, they may be
19:00
Speaker 3: worried that their colleagues are going to judge.
19:02
Speaker 2: Them, or that it might not be confidential.
19:06
Speaker 3: And that's why we really try to offer so many
19:10
Speaker 3: different avenues of connection, you know, to make sure that
19:15
Speaker 3: people do have options for whatever feels right for them,
19:18
Speaker 3: and whether that's through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
19:21
Speaker 3: or reaching out to nine to eight eight in their
19:23
Speaker 3: own time, just knowing that there are options for whatever
19:27
Speaker 3: your circumstance. But yeah, within the construction industry, they're the
19:31
Speaker 3: research that we have thus far. We know that there
19:34
Speaker 3: are certain risk factors that are unique to that community.
19:39
Speaker 3: And some of those include, you know, just cultural stigma
19:43
Speaker 3: that goes along with mental health.
19:45
Speaker 2: And suicide and really.
19:47
Speaker 3: Just a tough it out kind of culture where just
19:51
Speaker 3: like just work through the pain, just work through it.
19:53
Speaker 3: And you know, uh, there's just even in just our
19:57
Speaker 3: general society, there's so much stigma attached to mental health, right,
20:02
Speaker 3: and people may go to the doctor for physical health,
20:04
Speaker 3: but maybe less inclined to go to the doctor for
20:09
Speaker 3: mental health concerns. And I, you know, I can't say
20:13
Speaker 3: it enough. It's just health. It's all just fall on
20:17
Speaker 3: falls under health. Your brain is an organ, your brain
20:20
Speaker 3: is so vital to your existence. And so I can't
20:24
Speaker 3: encourage people enough to seek support, you know, if they
20:27
Speaker 3: are struggling with their mental health, you know, especially to
20:31
Speaker 3: be proactive about it, right. We all want to get
20:33
Speaker 3: ahead of something before, you know, be do that preventative
20:36
Speaker 3: work before we get to something that's more reactionary. Right.
20:40
Speaker 2: But also within.
20:42
Speaker 3: The construction industry, so many people are traveling to go
20:47
Speaker 3: to job sites, right, and so they're not in their
20:51
Speaker 3: you know, their hometown a lot of the time. Their
20:54
Speaker 3: their support system, their loved ones who know them best
20:56
Speaker 3: may not be around them. They may also experience physical
21:01
Speaker 3: pain just from how gruling the work can be on
21:05
Speaker 3: their bodies. And physical pain, it can certainly impact your
21:08
Speaker 3: mental health for sure. Job instability is another risk factor
21:12
Speaker 3: that we see within that community that.
21:14
Speaker 2: A lot of the.
21:17
Speaker 3: Jobs that they may be working on may be project
21:21
Speaker 3: based and may not be long term. It's you know,
21:24
Speaker 3: it's jumping from job to job, and that can certainly
21:27
Speaker 3: be a stressor fatigue, substance misuse and abuse, and certainly
21:32
Speaker 3: access to lethal means is always a concern a matter
21:35
Speaker 3: of the community that we're talking about, because we know
21:38
Speaker 3: if someone is struggling and may have access to lethal means,
21:42
Speaker 3: that is a tremendous risk factor, because we know that
21:47
Speaker 3: someone cannot make an attempt or complete a suicide if
21:51
Speaker 3: they do not have access to lethal means in a
21:53
Speaker 3: moment of crisis, and of course, it's always important to
21:57
Speaker 3: note that moments of crisis are temporary.
22:00
Speaker 2: They can last from a matter of minutes to.
22:03
Speaker 3: A few hours, but that moment of crisis does come
22:06
Speaker 3: and it will subside at some point. Can it return,
22:09
Speaker 3: Absolutely that is a possibility as well too. But removing
22:14
Speaker 3: access to lethal means in a moment of crisis is
22:17
Speaker 3: absolutely imperative to preventing suicide and saving lives. But I also,
22:23
Speaker 3: you know, talking about protective factors to all of those
22:26
Speaker 3: things that we that I just discussed. You know, whether
22:29
Speaker 3: it's stigma or you know, the tough culture that you're
22:35
Speaker 3: working in, or you know, if you're experiencing physical pain.
22:39
Speaker 2: We can change stigma, we can talk about it.
22:42
Speaker 3: We can create environments where we're talking about mental health
22:45
Speaker 3: and suicide in a way that encourages health seeking and
22:49
Speaker 3: showing support to one another, and we can all learn
22:51
Speaker 3: how to have a conversation. The one thing I love
22:53
Speaker 3: about this cause is that it's not just health professionals.
22:58
Speaker 3: And I say it's not only health professionals because they
23:00
Speaker 3: play a huge role in this, but it's not only
23:03
Speaker 3: health professionals that can save lives. Every day here is
23:07
Speaker 3: like you and me and every single person out there
23:10
Speaker 3: who is listening to this right now can play an
23:13
Speaker 3: active role in preventing suicide and saving lives.
23:17
Speaker 2: We all have the power to do that.
23:19
Speaker 3: And I want to encourage everyone to visit AFSP dot
23:22
Speaker 3: org as well as hardhack courage dot com to learn
23:26
Speaker 3: how you can be a lifesaver.
23:27
Speaker 1: All right, thanks for expounding on all that. I really
23:29
Speaker 1: appreciate it. I only have about maybe five and a
23:31
Speaker 1: half minutes left, so we need to get through a
23:33
Speaker 1: lot of things. Speaking of the construction industry and May,
23:36
Speaker 1: it's a big month for you, and also you haven't
23:38
Speaker 1: event with them, correct, Can you talk or tease a
23:40
Speaker 1: little bit about it for us?
23:42
Speaker 2: Yes, for sure.
23:43
Speaker 3: So May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the first
23:47
Speaker 3: week of May is actually Construction Safety Week as well,
23:50
Speaker 3: so we'll be doing a lot of talk saves lives
23:52
Speaker 3: but the construction industry, not just chapter wide, but also
23:57
Speaker 3: we've been invited to a lot of job sites throughout
23:59
Speaker 3: the National Capital Area to share this program on site
24:03
Speaker 3: with many construction workers, and we're really really proud of that.
24:07
Speaker 3: But we also have our Construction Hike for Hope event,
24:12
Speaker 3: which I am so thrilled about this. It is our
24:15
Speaker 3: second year hosting this event in the National Capital Area.
24:19
Speaker 3: This year we are going to be at Hemlock Overlook
24:24
Speaker 3: Regional Park, which is in Clifton, Virginia. Some of you
24:28
Speaker 3: may be familiar with Paradise Springs Winery, which is right
24:32
Speaker 3: next door, and so it's a beautiful, beautiful park. We're
24:37
Speaker 3: gonna have a pavilion there. We're going to get together
24:39
Speaker 3: Brandon early in the morning. So many members of the
24:42
Speaker 3: construction industry are going to come together. And I want
24:44
Speaker 3: to significantly bank Clark Construction for being our presenting sponsor
24:49
Speaker 3: for this year's event. We're really really proud to partner
24:52
Speaker 3: with them. But it's an event that's an opportunity for
24:56
Speaker 3: members of the construction industry to come together on a
24:58
Speaker 3: Saturday morning. Again, it's Saturday, May thirtieth at Hemlock Overlook
25:03
Speaker 3: Regional Park in Clifton, Virginia, and you know we're going
25:08
Speaker 3: to come together.
25:09
Speaker 2: There will be.
25:10
Speaker 3: Resources there, there'll be information, there'll be lots of fun
25:14
Speaker 3: activities for all ages.
25:15
Speaker 2: We have a construction corner for the kids of anyone
25:18
Speaker 2: who is small ones. Don't worry about that.
25:20
Speaker 3: I've got little kids too, and they will be there
25:22
Speaker 3: as well, with lots of things to entertain them.
25:25
Speaker 2: But it really is as.
25:27
Speaker 3: An opportunity to acknowledge this as an issue within the
25:31
Speaker 3: construction industry, to honor our own experiences to honor our
25:36
Speaker 3: colleagues and loved ones who have struggled, and to honor
25:39
Speaker 3: those who we have lost as well too, and to
25:42
Speaker 3: take that first step in really standing up for this
25:47
Speaker 3: and preventing suicide within the construction industry. And there's so
25:50
Speaker 3: many ways to get involved. We still have sponsorship opportunities
25:54
Speaker 3: for this event, opportunities for companies and individuals and families,
25:58
Speaker 3: you name it, frank groups to form teams to participate.
26:03
Speaker 3: There is no fundraising minimum, there is no registration fees,
26:07
Speaker 3: so literally anyone can come out and be a part
26:09
Speaker 3: of this event, and we want everyone to come out
26:11
Speaker 3: and be a part of this event. There's volunteer opportunities.
26:15
Speaker 3: I mean, there's so so many ways to get engaged.
26:17
Speaker 3: So you can find the website where you can learn
26:20
Speaker 3: more at AFSP dot org slash NCA construction and NCA
26:28
Speaker 3: stands for National Capital Area. You can also just go
26:32
Speaker 3: to AFSP dot org slash construction if you can't remember
26:35
Speaker 3: the other one, and on that page there'll be information
26:38
Speaker 3: about Hike for Hopes all across the United States, and
26:40
Speaker 3: just plugging your zip code and you'll find the one
26:43
Speaker 3: that's closest to you.
26:44
Speaker 1: Very good and with a few minutes left, I would
26:47
Speaker 1: be remissive we didn't talk about donations and ways to give.
26:49
Speaker 1: You have given everybody an opportunity to give in many
26:53
Speaker 1: different ways. Can you go over that very quickly for
26:55
Speaker 1: us and then they can check out more on the website.
26:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure.
26:57
Speaker 3: So you can give through the construction hike for hope.
27:00
Speaker 3: We also have our out of the Darkness walks that
27:01
Speaker 3: are going to be happening in the fall in Loudin County,
27:05
Speaker 3: Prince William County, Fairfax County, as well as Washington, DC.
27:09
Speaker 3: So you can go to AFSP dot org slash walk
27:13
Speaker 3: to find a walk that is closest to you.
27:15
Speaker 2: You can also just go to.
27:16
Speaker 3: AFSP dot org and click the donate button so and
27:19
Speaker 3: be sure to select the National Capital Area chapter. So
27:24
Speaker 3: part of the funds that you donate there will benefit
27:26
Speaker 3: programs and resources in the DMV area. And again we're
27:31
Speaker 3: always looking for volunteers, so please connect with us. If
27:34
Speaker 3: you go to AFSP dot org, you can find your
27:37
Speaker 3: local chapter there.
27:39
Speaker 2: Check out the website.
27:40
Speaker 3: On there you'll find volunteer information, ways to donate, upcoming events,
27:45
Speaker 3: and just how to connect with the chapter and find
27:47
Speaker 3: any resources for support.
27:48
Speaker 1: All very good. We just have a couple minutes left
27:51
Speaker 1: and want to get some final thoughts. We will give
27:54
Speaker 1: the call and text lines for you one more time.
27:57
Speaker 1: And remember it's both in English and Spanish. So it's
28:00
Speaker 1: just wonderful that you're trying to reach out to as
28:02
Speaker 1: many people as you can. Ellen, I want to give
28:04
Speaker 1: the floor to you. It's all you.
28:06
Speaker 3: All I want to say is that suicide is preventable.
28:09
Speaker 3: I cannot emphasize that enough and we can all play
28:12
Speaker 3: a role in saving lives, and we can. We can
28:15
Speaker 3: learn about risk factors, we can learn about warning signs,
28:18
Speaker 3: we can learn about protective factors, and what we can
28:20
Speaker 3: all do to play an active role in stopping this
28:24
Speaker 3: preventable leading cause of death. I want to encourage everyone
28:27
Speaker 3: to please connect with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
28:31
Speaker 3: We have a plethora of opportunities for you to get involved.
28:34
Speaker 3: So whatever your comfort level, we have opportunities for you.
28:38
Speaker 2: It's a wonderful, wonderful community to be.
28:40
Speaker 3: A part of, and we have resources for all different communities,
28:45
Speaker 3: whether it's industries, you know, cultural backgrounds, by age. We
28:49
Speaker 3: have programs for children and adults and aging adults and
28:53
Speaker 3: everyone there in between. So please connect with our organization.
28:58
Speaker 3: We want you to be a part of us because
29:00
Speaker 3: together we know that we can create a culture that
29:03
Speaker 3: is smarter about mental health.
29:05
Speaker 1: So well said website.
29:06
Speaker 2: One more time, Ellen, afsp dot org.
29:09
Speaker 1: Very good and once again, if you're in crisis, remember
29:11
Speaker 1: this is three sixty five twenty four to seven. You
29:14
Speaker 1: can call or text nine eight eight or text talk
29:18
Speaker 1: to seven four one seven for one. Once again, call
29:22
Speaker 1: or text nine eight eight or text talk to seven
29:25
Speaker 1: for one seven for one. Ellen. It's always great to
29:29
Speaker 1: see you. I know how hard you and your team
29:31
Speaker 1: are working. Congratulations on just the wonderful work that you're
29:35
Speaker 1: doing with the construction industry and everybody else. I think
29:37
Speaker 1: it's amazing growth that you're going into all these different
29:40
Speaker 1: areas that we would never thought about as layman. And
29:43
Speaker 1: while the numbers are staggering, you're helping a lot of
29:46
Speaker 1: people out there. So I hope people reach out to you,
29:48
Speaker 1: whether they just want to help you with funds, or
29:51
Speaker 1: they need their own help and be partners or whatever
29:53
Speaker 1: they want to do with you. Thank you so much
29:54
Speaker 1: for joining us on Community DC. We really appreciate it.
29:57
Speaker 2: Thank you so much deennis I really appreciate your sport