Offaly Suicide Prevention Officer role filled

A suicide prevention officer has been allocated to the Offaly region, following a campaign led by a Fianna Fáil Senator. Senator Mary White, who has campaigned strongly on suicide prevention, raised with Health Minister Mary Harney the need for an update on services for suicide prevention in Ireland. Kay Kennedy will be working with statutory and voluntary organisations around Offaly to heighten public awareness around the issue of suicide and to assist communities develop preventative responses as part of the National Strategy on Suicide Prevention 'Reach Out 2005-2014'. Offaly had Ireland"s highest suicide rate, according to one of the most-recent reports from the Institute of Public Health in Ireland published in August. The rate of suicide in Offaly was 17.9 per 100,000 population in the years from 2001 to 2004. 'I am delighted that the Offaly officer is now and place and I am pleased that other posts have also been filled in Kildare, Wicklow, Dublin South, Laois, Longford and Westmeath,' said Senator White. 'Suicide Prevention Officers are an essential support to community groups and voluntary organisations in implementing the national suicide strategy and it is vital that equal representation is provided to every person in every county in Ireland.' Senator White has published a special paper on suicide in Ireland entitled "What we can do about suicide in the new Ireland" takes a fresh look at the complex and pressing subject of suicide prevention, providing detailed analysis and research based findings and recommendations on tackling suicide in society today. Senator White also held a number of meetings throughout the country with various community groups and organisations to discuss in detail her ongoing campaign on suicide prevention in Ireland and focuses on her findings and recommendations from her special paper. 'I am holding these meetings in the hope that they can be a helpful tool to provide valuable information and to come up with useful initiatives to help prevent the high level of suicide in Ireland. If we are all more aware of the issue we can begin to understand it and try our best to tackle the root causes. I would urge anyone who is going through a difficult time to contact the National Office for Suicide Prevention to obtain the details of the Offaly officer,' said Senator White.