Huntsville Hospital Foundation to host suicide prevention town hall
HUNTSVILLE — The public is invited to attend the SPEAK Suicide Awareness and Prevention town hall meeting Sept. 11 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Von Braun Center’s Mark C. Smith Concert Hall.
Local nonprofit Huntsville Hospital Foundation is hosting the event through their SPEAK program. HHF works to strengthen relationships between the hospitals and the community as a fundraising branch of Huntsville and Madison hospitals. The event is supported by Madison City, Madison County and Huntsville City school systems.
The theme of the meeting will be “Parenting in a Challenging World: It is the Screen Age.” Parents will have a chance to learn how they can help their children navigate bullying, social media and academic stressors before they develop into serious, potentially life-threatening problems.
“Suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 15 to 24 and the fourth leading cause of death for ages 10 to 14,” said Candy Burnett, president of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation. “Whether your child is a high school senior or just starting Kindergarten, this town hall is meant for you. The event is free, and you truly can’t afford not to attend.”
Dr. Scott Poland, EdD, who is a licensed psychologist and internationally recognized speaker, is a recognized expert on youth suicide, school crisis and prevention. He has written five books on these subjects and is a professor at the Center for Psychological Studies. He is also the co-director of the Suicide Prevention Office at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In addition to these qualifications, Poland is also a founding member of the National Emergency Assistance Team and has personally assisted school communities after 16 school shootings and numerous suicide clusters.
The town hall is an adults-only event targeted at parents, guardians and caregivers. The school from each school system with the most parents attending will receive $1,000.
To learn more about the Huntsville Hospital Foundation and its SPEAK program, visit huntsvillehospitalfoundation.org.
