Carroll County proclaims Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month; local peers, public-health officials urge resources and training

Carroll County Commissioners on Sept. 4 proclaimed September as both Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and heard personal accounts and program descriptions from county health staff and peer recovery specialists.

Amy Baker, program director for special populations at the Carroll County Health Department, said the national Recovery Month observance “highlights the critical messaging that behavioral-health recovery is real and achievable,” and described peer recovery support as an important community resource. Baker noted local events and supports available during the month.

Germaine Thornton, supervisor for the Health Department’s peer recovery support unit, spoke as a person in recovery and described how recovery has allowed him to resume family and community roles, including coaching his son’s youth football team. “Recovery is something that’s real and obtainable,” Thornton said.

Ron Brody, who identified himself as a person in recovery, urged that recovery month help reduce stigma and create peer support and community belonging for people with substance use and mental-health conditions.

Brooke Fox, director of prevention services at the Carroll County Health Department, described suicide-prevention trainings available in the county, including Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) and Mental Health First Aid and urged wider community participation. Fox also introduced Christina Warren, the department’s substance-use and suicide-prevention coordinator.

Margie Nijhoff, a peer recovery specialist and chief recovery officer at the Hoffa Foundation, spoke about her personal experience as a suicide-attempt survivor and the role of compassion and education in prevention. Another peer, Christine (last name not specified), described seven years in recovery from suicidal behaviors and urged community support and training.

The proclamation read by the commissioners noted national data and local context: the county’s proclamation text cites national figures and states that suicide accounted for 250 deaths in Carroll County from 2012 to 2023. The board encouraged residents to use the 988 crisis lifeline and pointed to local programs and trainings as tools to prevent deaths by suicide.

Ending: County health officials noted community events tied to the month, including a recovery walk and vendor fair in Westminster and the county’s “Aging Your Way” expo; officials asked residents to contact the Carroll County Health Department for information on trainings, peer support and crisis resources.