On Monday afternoon, the Redwood City Council proclaimed September as National Suicide Prevention Month, a recognition that was presented to StarVista, the operator of the San Mateo County Suicide Prevention and Crisis Intervention Center, which operates the 988 number.
"This is a time to raise awareness about an issue that is paramount to the health and well-being of our community," said the Redwood City mayor, Giselle Hale. "Mental health is an issue, of course, that I have spearheaded along with several members of the Council."
"We see the need in our communities and suicide has been an unfortunate result of a lot of pain that people have had throughout the pandemic. And so, our goal is to make sure that individuals, friends families, have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help," he stressed.
StarVista, Hale said, is a local nonprofit organization that helps residents and families navigate life's challenges through counseling, case management, skill, developmental and crisis containment, as well as prevention and programs.
In view of this, he stressed that if anyone, at any time has the need to use or has a friend who needs help for crisis or suicidal thoughts, they can use the 988 service.
Zena Andreani, assistant director of StarVista's Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Services accepted the proclamation, while acknowledging that there is a need for residents to play a role in supporting each other in suicide prevention.
"Thank you very much for this Proclamation and for proclaiming Suicide Prevention Month 2020. This year's theme is to take action for suicide prevention and prosperity in all ages," said Andreani.
He stressed that the Proclamation is a recognition of "the importance, strength and resilience, protective factors to truly take care of oneself and promote wellness in others."
"This is a really historic moment. So anyone who dials this three-digit number ?988? if you're in crisis, if you're worried about someone, this is the number to go to. If you're having thoughts of suicide, you're worried about your mental health or you have a need to resort to substance use, it's just a phone call away," he pointed out.
Notably, during the past fiscal year, StarVista Crisis Center's 24/7 Crisis Hotline staff responded to more than 13 thousand phone calls.
These phone calls lasted an average of 12 minutes each and 100 percent of callers were offered immediate counseling and referrals to other services.
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