KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM.FM) – September is suicide prevention month.
Death by suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens and young adults, and never has more help been available for anyone contemplating taking their own life in southwest Michigan.
Those local efforts may be paying off.
Kalamazoo County Medical Examiner Dr. Patrick Hansma says the latest statistics he has available show the suicide rate is down here.
Hansma says he can’t pinpoint any single reason for the better numbers.
Not only does Gryphon Place operate a 24-hour call line at 988, and operate programs to help those thinking of suicide, but the opening of the 24-hour Behavior Health Urgent Care Center in Kalamazoo a year ago gives folks a place to go for help.
Ashley Kipp of Gryphon place says they held their annual fundraising walk in Kalamazoo on Saturday.
Victor Ledbetter, director of the KVCC Police Academy says a new state law holds parents criminally liable if their kids use a gun that was not properly secured.
The new law took effect in February of this year.
Dr. Hansma says the numbers peaked during the pandemic, but had been rising steadily even before COVID-19 arrived.
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