SPARC brings suicide prevention program to BRMS
From the Greensburg Daily News
On February 22, 30 staff members of Benjamin Rush Middle School were trained and certified as QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer) Gatekeepers.
The QPR program is a suicide prevention program designed to train community members to recognize and respond to a suicidal crisis.
Training was provided by Drew Hahn and Paul Nichols. Hahn is a Peer Support Specialist in the Behavioral and Mental Health Services at Rush Memorial Hospital.
The costs of the class were covered by SPARC (Suicide Prevention Across Rush County), a local community coalition whose mission is suicide prevention.
As of February 2023, a total of 92 people have received QPR training through the efforts of SPARC.
According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, the QPR process involves three steps:
- Question the individual’s desire or intent regarding suicide.
- Persuade the person to seek help, and
- Refer the person to appropriate resources.
Staff were very supportive and enthusiastic about the QPR training. Those who attended the training had this to say about the program:
“I would absolutely recommend QPR training to someone else!”
- “Thank you for all you do in our community and schools! You are much appreciated!”
- “It was good to learn what to say to students if/when there are warning signs or suicidal ideations.”
- “I appreciated participating in a second QPR course and relearned many tips and reminders to help me in my job and in life.”
- “This training should be held annually as a refresher.”
The next QPR training will be offered to the community from 8 to 10 a.m. April 11 in the Kenneth L. Earnest Conference Center at Rush Memorial Hospital.
To register, email Hahn at drew.hahn@rushmemorial.com or Susan Eakins at Susan.Eakins@rushmemorial.com.