National Suicide Prevention Month
September 2024 Proclamation for the Town of Abington, MA
Whereas, suicide is the 11th leading cause of all deaths in the U.S. and the third leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 15 to 24.
WHEREAS, in the U.S., one person dies by suicide every 14 minutes.
WHEREAS it is estimated that five million people in the U.S. are survivors of suicide loss.
WHEREAS the overall suicide rate in our country in 2022 estimates 50,000 people dying by suicide,
WHEREAS suicide is a public health concern and affects many in our community, and
WHEREAS, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and The Plymouth County Suicide Prevention Coalition, promote suicide prevention and awareness in our communities, both urge that we as a community align with the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention at a local level including community-based efforts that support:
Effective, broad-based, collaborative, and susitainable suicide prevention partnerships
Invest in upstream comprehensive community-based suicide prevention.
Reducing access to lethal means among people at risk of suicide.
Integrating suicide prevention into the culture of the workplace and into other community settings.
Build and sustain suicide prevention infrastructure at the local, town, and state level.
WHEREAS, a great many suicides are preventable, THEREFORE, IT BE RESOLVED that, we, the Abington Board of Selectmen do hereby recognize September as Suicide Prevention Month and designate September 10, 2024, as Suicide Prevention Day in the town of Abington, MA