Suicide Prevention: Marin Co. Launches Online Survey

MARIN COUNTY, CA – In an effort to deter suicides and better understand suicide attempts, the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services has launched an online questionnaire for local residents.

The online survey should take about five minutes to complete and is open through Feb. 25, according to county officials, who are trying to learn more about the sensitive issue of suicide prevention in Marin County and develop a Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan.

“Our goal is clear – to reduce, if not eliminate, local suicide attempts and deaths,” said Dr. Jei Africa, who leads the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Division. “Once we have a better understanding of people’s experiences and analyze the survey results, we believe we can create strategies to increase service coordination and strengthen our existing support networks.

>>>SURVEY HERE<<<

In 2017, the most recent year for which Marin HHS has statistics, there were 42 deaths by suicide among Marin residents, with men and boys accounting for 74 percent of all deaths by suicide among county residents from 2013-2017, officials said.

From 2014-2016, the crude death rate from suicide for California was 10.7 deaths per 100,000 population, equivalent to approximately one suicide for every 9,328.8 persons, according to the California Department of Public Health. Among all 58 California counties with reliable rates, the crude death rate ranged from 26.4 in Humboldt County to 7.8 in San Mateo County. Marin ranked 26th of all counties with 15.1 deaths by suicide per 100,000 residents.

“Suicide is not always talked about. There is so much stigma and shame around this issue, and yet so many individuals and families are affected by the experience," said Marin HHS' Africa. "We’d like to change the outcomes of those who are in need, of those who are suffering. We know that suicide is preventable, and we need to come together as a community to help address it.”

Marin HHS collaborates with San Rafael-based Buckelew Programs to provide suicide prevention services. The hotline, at (415) 499-1100, provides around-the-clock, free and confidential support for people in distress and resources for loved ones. The hotline in 2017 received more than 6,700 calls -- roughly 18 per day -- from residents reaching out for support, county officials said. The program also can be reached at hotline@buckelew.org.

Marin HHS maintains a webpage about suicide prevention and has more information about mental health on www.marinhhs.org.

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