A program to help in suicide prevention increases in participation.

The release below is from the Taney County Health Department:

The Taney County Health Department (TCHD) is excited to announce that over 1000 people in Taney County have completed the Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) gatekeeper training to help prevent suicide.

QPR is a special training that teaches people how to spot warning signs, offer hope, and help connect someone with professional help if they are thinking about suicide. 

With help from local schools, community groups, and businesses, TCHD has been able to offer QPR training to people all over Taney County. Each one-hour session teaches people how to Question someone who may need help, Persuade them to get help, and Refer them to the right
mental health resources. This milestone shows how people in Taney County are coming together to make Taney County safer, and more supportive for everyone.

“This was an eye-opening training,” states Ian Hildebrand, a College of the Ozarks student, and recently trained QPR gatekeeper. “I learned steps to take to properly communicate with people who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts.” 

QPR training is free, through funding from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Maternal Child Health Services contract which helps to provide all the supplies. The training can be tailored to youth, adults, first responders, and veterans. Please contact the Taney County Health Department at 417-334-4544 ext 594 for more information or to schedule a training. 

For more information contact the Taney County Health Department at 417-334-4544, visit our website at www.taneycohealth.org, or like our FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest pages.