O'Grady testimony: White Star families and multiple pathways to support

Recognizing White Star families is one way for the city to see that families should not be overlooked in our city and in our broader suicide prevention efforts.

At Samaritans, our work is grounded in a single principle.

People need multiple pathways to support.

Prevention works when it reaches across a whole community instead of resting on one particular service.

The U.S.

Air Force saw a significant reduction in suicide, homicide, and family violence after implementing that kind of coordinated program.

And I've quoted Knox, who after 10 years, they did that study and literally...

they could see that those who are suicidal, because it was a huge opportunity within the Air Force to study a closed group that you can get back to.

So it's a very significant study, and what it found is that...

Helping a person who is suicidal is to allow them to have the autonomy to choose the kinds of support that they believe will support and help them.

So for one person, it could be turning to a religious pastor.

Another person won't go there at all.

One person will want to go to a psychiatrist and take pills.

Another person does not want that.

So it's thinking about it not only as what one thing should we do, it's allowing, it's having

options and support and engaging with our veterans to have them choose from an array of services where they will find their maximum support.

And that would be my, you know, big takeaway from the years I have worked.

Obviously, we need accessible clinical care, community sport, 988,

including the veterans crisis line option, and alternative places that people can turn to when those systems do not feel like the right place to begin.

And we need people.

and organizations like the Samaritans and others.

We thank the council.