Hospital hosts A Life Worth Living
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on September 25, 2017 5:50 AM
Suicide is a permanent solution to what is often a temporary problem, prompting a free community education event taking place this week.
A Life Worth Living, presented by Wayne UNC Health Care and Eastpointe, will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. in Moffatt Auditorium at Wayne Community College.
The subject "has been a passion of mine for a long time," said Georgia Dees, director of public relations at the hospital.
The need to raise awareness is two-fold, she said, starting with the fact that this is a military community.
"Statistics show that the suicide rate is much higher among members of the military," she explained. "We wanted to reach out to that community and help them and offer resources that would be beneficial for the service people at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, to let them know that there are resources if they're having problems."
There are options, people to speak with, on base as well as in the community, Dees said.
But the audience that needs to hear such a message is much broader, she added.
"School students, really from middle school up, that's the population that may not be aware of who to talk to, if they're having problems they may be embarrassed or fearful.
"We're also targeting people that work with youth -- teachers, counselors and parents -- to shine some light on the subject and give them some ideas of what to look out for."
The subject matter, while sensitive and alarming, is important to all demographics, Dees said.
Unfortunately, this community is representative of many others around the state and nation, she said, in that there are growing numbers of suicides.
Thursday's event will feature two experts speaking on the topic, as well as information about resources and a question and answer segment.
Sean Douglas, active duty military at SJAFB and author, is passionate about helping others succeed. He is also a suicide survivor.
His book, "The Power to Overcome Self-Defeating Behaviors," shares some of his personal experiences surrounding his suicide attempt in Dec. 2008.
"I hit the rock bottom so hard I bounced off the rock," he said. "It had so many things going against me.
"But you can persevere. You can overcome. There's nothing so bad that you can't overcome. That's really my message."
He is a popular speaker at high schools and colleges, as well as military installations, all with the goal of encouraging skill sets and coping tools that will help those struggling with the temptation to give up and end it all.
Regina Gurley, who recently joined the medical staff at Wayne UNC Health, will discuss warning signs, ways friends and family can help and treatment options.
"I think that events like this are just vital to decreasing the stigma with mental illness, and make people feel comfortable coming forward with feelings and families," she said. "That's really the key, is to talk people through it. It doesn't have to a black label or a black mark.
"Education is a big part of this and just getting that conversation started."
Advance registration for the event is requested, online at waynehealth.org/Life or by calling 919-587-3300.