Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Suicide Prevention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Aitkin County public health educator highlights local suicide-prevention resources
Summary
Ivan Bartha, public health educator for Aitkin County HHS, described the county's suicide-prevention committee, participation in the state planning process, and on-the-ground resources including mobile crisis outreach and the 988 hotline.
Ivan Bartha, public health educator with Aitkin County Health and Human Services, told listeners that the Committee for the Awareness and Prevention of Suicide meets monthly and helped inform the state's suicide-prevention plan through themed focus groups on topics such as veteran suicide prevention and men's mental health. Bartha said many committee members bring lived experience and the group coordinates postvention when a suicide occurs in the county.
Bartha stressed the limits and strengths of rural resources: Aitkin County is geographically dispersed, which can complicate access in places such as Jacobson, but the county has mobile crisis outreach and can connect callers to 988. "We have mobile crisis outreach. We have 988," Bartha said. He also described coordination with Veterans Affairs and local partners to align services and support placements when needed.
