September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center will conduct programs throughout the month to promote education and bring awareness to this dire situation.
One such program being conducted for the second year, and on a grander scale than last, is the origami crane display.“
Last year was the first year we did the crane project,” explained Mary Campbell, suicide prevention coordinator. “We took the idea from another medical center. A colleague and I loved the idea and decided to take it on last year. We wanted to have a different way to get people talking about mental health and suicide prevention, and this was a great way last year.”
This year there will be two crane displays, one located at the Iron Mountain VA Medical Center and the other will travel around the Houghton and Hancock areas.
“I got involved as soon as I heard about the project and have folded many cranes,” said Wayne Rodriguez, who has been enrolled in the ERANGE (Enhanced Rural Access Network Growth Enhancement) program for the past two and a half years. “I’m a veteran and have dealt with my own depression for many years. In my 57 years I have known a lot of people who have taken their own lives and I feel that this is a great opportunity to speak out and talk to people.”
ERANGE provides veterans struggling with mental health symptoms intensive recovery-oriented mental health services that enable them to live meaningful lives in their community.
“They have changed my life,” Rodriguez said about ERANGE. “I feel blessed that I have been a part of ERANGE. They have kept me on my medication and out of the hospital.
“I have been very active with my ERANGE team and have coordinated with the public to get the displays set up in the Houghton Hancock area,” he added. “Many people that I have met have had someone in their family lost to suicide. I believed the more I talk about suicide, maybe the young veterans will reach out to someone for help.”
It is said that 1,000 origami cranes represent healing and recovery.
The cranes are folded by ERANGE staff and community volunteers consisting of veterans and their family members, and members of the community. Some of the cranes have hand-written messages of hope and inspiration written inside them by some of the volunteers. This year, more than 50 people were involved in the crane folding process. Each crane display will have 1,014 cranes strung together.
At the Iron Mountain VAMC, the display will be located at the outpatient care entrance.
In the Houghton and Hancock areas, the display will be located at the Hancock Community-Based Outpatient Clinic until Sept. 9, Finlandia University from Sept. 12 to Sept. 16, Michigan Technical University from Sept. 19 to Sept. 23 and Portage Lake District Library from Sept. 26 to Sept. 30.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call 988 then press 1 to be connected to one of more than 200 local crisis centers located throughout the United States. If a local crisis line is busy, the call will be forwarded to another available crisis center.
For more information about the crane project or other National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month events, call Mary Campbell at (906) 774-3300 Ext. 32767, Sharon Anastas at (906) 774-3300 Ext. 32769, or they can be e-mailed at mary.campbell9@va.gov or Sharon.anastas@va.gov.
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