ARTICLE
The Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors at their August Board meeting passed a resolution of support for National Suicide Prention Awareness Month on behalf of NAMI of Hunterdon County. COUNTY OF HUNTERDON, NEW JERSEY NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS MONTH WHEREAS, suicide continues to be a serious but preventable public health problem that can have lasting harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities; and WHEREAS, nationally, suicide is the ninth leading cause of death overall and the third leading cause of death among Americans aged 5 to 14 and the second leading cause of death among Americans aged 15 to 24; and WHEREAS, most recent data shows that in New Jersey suicide has decreased to 9.7 self-inflicted deaths per 100,000 people demonstrating that through education and public awareness, suicide rates can improve; and WHEREAS, the best way to minimize risk of suicide is to learn about risk factors, recognize warning signs and take them seriously, and know how to respond to possibly save a life; and WHEREAS, National Alliance on Mental Illness – Hunterdon Chapter (NAMI Hunterdon) is proud to partner with Hunterdon County Stigma Free Task Force to end the bigotry against people afflicted with mental illness; and WHEREAS, local suicide prevention efforts including Hunterdon’s Stigma Free Task Force work to raise awareness, eliminate stigma, promote suicide prevention as a public health issue and increase help-seeking behavior; and WHEREAS, effective prevention strategies are needed to promote awareness of suicide while also promoting prevention, resilience, and a commitment to social change; and WHEREAS, NAMI Hunterdon invites all residents and members of the Business Community of Hunterdon County to become educated about suicide and participate in National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month; and NOW, THEREFORE, the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce, do hereby recognize September 2018 as NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS MONTH AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce will call upon our membership to take the CureStigma test today to see if they are affected by stigma at CureStigma.org and pledge to be stigma free ATTEST: Michelle L. Heide Chair Christopher J. Phelan President & CEO