Greene County proclaims September suicide prevention month; commissioners approve series of administrative items

Greene County commissioners placed a proclamation on the agenda recognizing September 2025 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and specifically marking Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, as World Suicide Prevention Day. The board also approved a package of routine administrative actions and contracts spanning grants, transportation funding, and a property-assessment settlement.

Melanie Traub, a staff member at Greene County Human Services, told the commission the county is promoting local crisis resources and training. “If someone is struggling, we really want to encourage people to dial 980, to dial our local, crisis hotline, which is +1 804179460,” Traub said. She described Question, Persuade, Refer training sessions the county is offering and said one public session is scheduled for Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. at Valley View Farms. Traub said the trainings have been offered to local businesses and to the public and that informational flyers are available from Human Services.

Alan Miller, identified as a founding member of the suicide-prevention group Team Help, shared a personal appeal to residents. “You matter more than you’ll ever know,” Miller said, recounting that he lost his son five years ago and urging anyone in crisis to seek help.

Votes at a glance

- Minutes: The board approved the minutes from the Sept. 3, 2025 meeting. - Proclamation: Placed on the agenda recognizing September 2025 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, as World Suicide Prevention Day (motion passed). - Resolution re: Commonwealth budget deadline: The board placed a resolution addressing consequences of the missed Commonwealth budget deadline on the agenda (motion passed). - Opioid settlement certification: The board placed on the agenda the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse Addiction Abatement Trust certification form for 2025 funds, stating funds will be used in accordance with settlement terms and Exhibit E (motion passed). - Exhibit K (lease subdivision) and signatory: The board placed on the agenda Exhibit K, a subdivision of a lease form related to settlement agreements with secondary manufacturers, and named Commissioner Ed Grin as signatory (motion passed). - Property assessment settlement: The board placed on the agenda a settlement agreement and stipulation involving the Greene County Board of Assessment Appeals, Dunker Township and Southeastern Green School District that fixes the parcel (ID 0609327) fair market value at $91,000 for fiscal year 2025 and the assessed value at $38,038 for FY25 and thereafter (motion passed). - Veterans burial: The board approved allocating $75 for burial services for one Army veteran (motion passed). - PCCD grant modification: A project modification request was placed on the agenda for PCCD grant 41 1 23 pertaining to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services at the county prison (motion passed). - Human services appointment: Cynthia Diaz was appointed to the Human Service Advisory Board (motion passed). - Transportation allocation: The board placed on the agenda a fiscal year 2025–26 medical-assistant transportation allocation in the amount of $635,311 (motion passed). - Drug and alcohol contract: The board placed on the agenda a six-month fiscal year 2025–26 contract with Glen by Rock Creek Medical Center for inpatient treatment not to exceed $10,000 (motion passed). - Information technology contract: The board placed on the agenda a five-year contract beginning December 2025 with Acxiom Enterprises Inc. for safety equipment tied to part of a UMWA contract (motion passed). - Sheriff MOU: The board placed on the agenda a memorandum of understanding among Greene County, the Greene County Sheriff and the West Greene School District for assistance with law-enforcement coverage; the item was approved pending solicitor review (motion passed). - Wise Carver project final pay/change orders: The board placed on the agenda the final pay application for Morgan Excavating for the Wise Carver project and approved change orders (a) anchors for a dock to rock outcropping (amounts listed in the record as $575.02 and $107.24), (b) clearing additional trees to satisfy a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit request (amount listed in the record as $18,045.88), and (d) base repair in a parking lot due to soft soil conditions (amount listed as $11,398.14). The board tabled change order (c) related to delays during PennDOT roadway management work (motion passed to approve a, b and d; c tabled). - CDBG change order: The board approved Change Order 2 for West Green Land under federal fiscal year contract 82905 (Great Water and Sewer Authority same bed replacement 2) in the amount of $4,574 (motion passed). - Fiscal monitoring response letter: The board approved the county’s performance-review response letter addressing findings from fiscal monitoring for contracts from fiscal years 2016 (discretionary), 2017 (entitlement) and 2018 (entitlement) (motion passed).

Several agenda items were placed on the agenda with only brief discussion and unanimous vocal approval; recorded votes in the transcript were spoken as “Aye” with no roll-call tallies provided. The board adjourned after completing the listed business.

Why it matters: The proclamation and related public-health outreach signal county attention to rising local suicide concerns; the approvals of grant modifications, transportation funding, and contracts set funding and administrative actions the county said are needed for services ranging from jail-based MAT programs to transportation for medical assistants.

What the record shows and does not: The Human Services representative said there were “30” suicide deaths in the “last 30 to 40 days” as recorded in the meeting transcript; the county did not provide supporting documentation in the meeting record for that figure. Several dollar amounts and grant identifiers were read aloud in the meeting; the article reports those figures exactly as stated on the record when available and marks unspecified details where the transcript was not precise.