Kaiser Health News (9/23, O’Hagan) reports that epidemiologist Kimberly Repp found some new insights about suicide after she accompanied one of Washington County, Oregon’s medical examiner’s death investigators for a year. Data revealed “a surprising number of suicides at hotels and motels” and “also showed a number of those who killed themselves had experienced eviction or foreclosure or had a medical visit within weeks or days of their death.” Furthermore, the data “revealed that people in crisis regularly turn their pets over to the animal shelter.” Using Repp’s findings, Washington County suicide prevention coordinator Debra Darmata “began offering…training to motel clerks and housekeepers, animal shelter workers, pain clinic staffers and more.” Preliminary data show that the county’s suicide rate fell by 40% between 2012 and 2018.
Related Links:
— “Want To Reduce Suicides? Follow The Data — To Medical Offices, Motels And Even Animal Shelters, “Maureen O’Hagan, Kaiser Health News, September 23, 2019