SAINT JOSEPH – The Berrien County Suicide Prevention Coalition, in partnership with Spectrum Health Lakeland, will offer a three-hour safeTALK training course on Tuesday, October 23 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The event will be held in the Community Room at Lakeland Medical Center, located at 1234 Napier Avenue. SafeTALK trains anyone, ages 15 and older, to become a suicide-alert helper. Cost to participate is $10 and scholarships are available.

SafeTALK holds that “most people with thoughts of suicide don’t truly want to die; they want the pain they are in to end. Through words and actions, the suicidal person invites help. SafeTALK-trained helpers can recognize these gestures and connect the person to life-saving resources.” SafeTALK has been used in over 20 countries since its development in 2006 by Living Works (www.livingworks.net.)

For more information or to register, contact Randy Miota, Manager of Chaplaincy Services, Spectrum Health Lakeland at 269-983-8454 or [email protected]

The Berrien County Suicide Prevention Coalition is an advisory committee of Berrien Mental Health Authority (Riverwood Center.) For more information on the Coalition, see their website at BerrienCares.org.