WHEREAS, suicide is the 10th leading cause of all deaths in the United States; (1) and the 2nd leading cause of death for ages 10-24; and

WHEREAS, tragically, more Oregonians die by suicide than by homicide. Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death (1) overall in Oregon and the second leading cause of death for ages 10-34 (1) giving Oregon the 10th highest rate of suicide (1) in the U.S. and

WHEREAS, over 50% of people who die by suicide use a firearm; (2) guns stored in the house are used for suicide 40 times more often than for self-protection; (3) and

WHEREAS, Curry County ranks first in the state in total veterans who commit suicide (4), and according to the 2014/15 Oregon Healthy Teen Survey, (5) Curry County led all Oregon school districts in the percent of 8th and 11th grade students who seriously considered attempting suicide in the 12 months prior to the survey and represented more than double the average 8th and 11th grader actually attempting suicide during that same period, and

WHEREAS, the stigma associated with mental illness and suicide works against suicide prevention by discouraging persons at risk from seeking lifesaving help and further traumatizes survivors of nonfatal attempts, and

WHEREAS, The Oregon Plan for Youth Suicide Prevention: A Call to Action, updated in 2016, (1) outlines strategies for community based action to end the stigma associated with suicide

NOW, THEREFORE, the Board of Curry County Commissioners hereby proclaims September, 2016 as

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County encourages schools, students, parents, health care workers, religious institutions, and community organizations to engage in a variety of prevention and awareness activities designed to remove the stigma around suicide.

DATED this ___ day of September, 2016.

BOARD OF CURRY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Tom Huxley, Chair

Susan Brown, Vice Chair

David Brock Smith, Commissioner

Approved as to Form:

John Hutti
Curry County Legal Counsel