Grassroots Encourages Community to Learn About Suicide Prevention

In recognition of Suicide Awareness Month, Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center is encouraging the community to learn about local efforts to help individuals who have expressed thoughts of suicide. The Howard County-based crisis intervention center, which was established more than 50 years ago, includes on-site counselors, Mobile Crisis Team responders and others who have been trained in suicide prevention.

Grassroots serves as a call center for National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to people in suicidal crisis. Last year Grassroots counselors responded to 4,653 calls from individuals who reached out for support.

The Grassroots crisis hotline receives almost 40,000 calls annually from people in distress. Its specialists are available round the clock to listen to people in need and provide professional counseling and intervene in crisis of every kind.

Grassroots is one of three programs in the State of Maryland to provide the Maryland 211 Program, which responds to people in the region who are struggling with mental health issues. The 211 Press 1 option is designed to prevent suicide, as well as provide substance use intervention and assist in other mental health emergencies.

In addition, the Mobile Crisis Team (MCT), which includes Grassroots clinicians and members of the Howard County Police Department, responded to 103 calls last year related to an individual who expressed thoughts of suicide and provided immediate support to families in 14 cases of a completed suicide. Mobile Crisis Team’s clinicians assess for risk of suicide and provide a safety plan and resources for suicide prevention and support. If mental health hospitalization is warranted, the clinicians will facilitate transportation. Last year, MCT responded to over a thousand community emergencies in Howard County.

Grassroots also provides long term support for people who have lost a loved one to suicide through Survivors of Suicide Loss, a free and confidential support group that helps survivors cope with the tragedy and grief of losing a loved one to suicide. The SOS group meets twice a month. Some members have been attending for years while others are newcomers. The group currently meets virtually. To register, contact Ashley Badgley, ashley@grassrootscrisis.org.

About Grassroots

Grassroots provides the county’s only emergency shelter and 24-hour crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and support for individuals and families with a mental health, substance use or homelessness crisis. It operates the crisis intervention center in Columbia and the Grassroots Day Resource Center in Jessup. For information, see www.grassrootscrisis.org, or call 410-531-6006.