In partnership with local organisations and community and voluntary groups, HSE CHO Area 2 (Galway, Mayo and Roscommon) are developing a Suicide Prevention Action Plan for counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
This is part of “Connecting for Life”, a national strategy which aims to reduce suicide in Ireland. The strategy sets out the Irish Government’s vision for suicide prevention, the expected outcomes over the next five years and the actions that will be taken to prevent suicide and self-harm in Ireland.
The two primary objectives of this strategy are to reduced suicide rates and presentations of self-harm through the whole population and amongst specified priority groups. As part of Connecting for Life, a Suicide Prevention Action Plan Steering Committee was established for HSE CHO Area 2 to support the development of a Suicide Prevention Action Plan for Galway, Mayo and Roscommon in line with the recommendations of Connecting For Life.
A public survey is currently underway and we encourage as many people to have your say in. Members of the public can complete the survey online by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/r/CHO2 or in Irish at www.surveymonkey.com/r/CHO2Irish .
Suicide Resource Officer for Galway, Mary O’Sullivan explained
“A new national strategy for suicide prevention was developed in 2015 by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP). The strategy incorporates international best practice, builds on previous prevention measures and aims to reduce the risk factors for suicidal behaviour. Along with other areas of our health service, We are working alongside the NOSP to develop a local action plan specifically for the west of Ireland in conjunction with various local organisations, NGO’s, local authorities and communities. We encourage as many people to complete the survey so that we can continue to work in preventing suicide and self-harm in Ireland
Suicide Resource Officer for Roscommon, Mary McGrath said
“for people who have been affected by suicide or self-harm, we appreciate that some of the questions in the survey may be emotionally difficult to answer. If you, or someone you know needs support, we would encourage you to free call the Samaritans on 116 123 for a listening ear or to visit www.yourmentalhealth.ie. For further information and details of local support services, please visit www.connectingforlifeGMR.ie”.