“Changing Attitudes, Saving Lives” is the theme of the first Suicide Prevention Summit to be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 22, at The Florian Gardens in Eau Claire. The program is designed for health care and human service professionals; mental health, senior, youth and public services providers; educators; law enforcement personnel; faith communities; post-secondary students; and parents, survivors and anyone with an interest in suicide prevention.

The summit will focus on:

saving lives through intervention and awareness;

understanding the full scope of the suicide problem in the region;

becoming aware of available resources; and

the Questions, Persuade and Refer process of three simple steps to help save a life from suicide.

Featured speakers will include John Humphries, school psychologist, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction; Dr. Michael Miller, medical director of the NewStart Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program at Meriter Hospital, Madison; Dr. Tim Robertson, Luther Midelfort child and adolescent psychiatrist; and Christine Severson, a school counselor in the Sparta Area School District, QPR trainer and suicide prevention coordinator for Mental Health America of Wisconsin.

Support from nearly 50 partners and sponsors has allowed organizers to charge a $30 fee for this program, which includes instruction, program materials, continuing education units and lunch. A complete list of partners and sponsors is available online at www.uwec.edu/ce/humanSer/suicide_prevention/index.htm. For scholarship information, contact Carol Pulkrabek, Eau Claire County Department of Human Services, at (715) 839-6922.

Those interested in attending the Suicide Prevention Summit can register online at www.uwec.edu/ce/humanSer/suicide_prevention/index.htm. For additional program information, or to request reasonable accommodations for disabilities, call (715) 836-3636 or (866) 893-2423, use the Wisconsin Relay System (711), visit www.uwec.ed/ce or e-mail ce@uwec.edu.

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