Suicide prevention plan to be presented to Hastings District Council

Hastings councillor Henare O'Keefe says a new plan to tackle suicide is a step in the right direction. Photo Duncan Brown

A multi-faceted approach to tackling suicide in Hawke's Bay is at the forefront of the latest three-year prevention plan which is to be voted on by the Hastings District Council today.

Hawke's Bay District Health Board's suicide prevention co-ordinator, Penny Rongotoa said that moreso than the two previous plans, it has a strong community focus.

"Because suicide is such a complex phenomenon, it requires different sectors and communities working together to try and make a difference."

She said with the suicide rate there is always more to do.

"I think we would always like to be doing better and finding different ways to improve what we do, but I do believe there are inroads in the fact that we are understanding better how to serve a population of people by targeting our approach, by working closer with the community, whanau and individuals and also working collectively as agencies," Rongotoa said.

Suicide prevention plans are a requirement of DHBs. The development of the plan was led by the suicide prevention co-ordinator of the Hawke's Bay District Health Board (DHB) in collaboration with a large number of relevant organisations in the region.

The strategy has four key goals; empowering and enabling communities, accessible suicide prevention training, strengthening and improving post/prevention processes and to address the suicide prevention needs of targeted populations.

The first plan, from 2015 to 2017 was all about finding their way with the different organisations before better supporting the community, Rongotoa said. The second plan was only interim from 2017 to this year.

Hastings District Flaxmere councillor Henare O'Keefe agreed, adding that while the plan is not the "silver bullet," it is certainly a step in the right direction.

"At the end of the day, in my opinion, it is about everybody together taking ownership, responsibility and listening with an empathetic, sympathetic, patient ear."

The council's community development committee will vote on the endorsement today.

WHERE TO GET HELP

If you are worried about yours or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call police immediately on 111.

Or if you need to talk to someone else:
LIFELINE: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)
SUICIDE CRISIS HELPLINE: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633
KIDSLINE: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)
WHATSUP: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)
DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7)
SAMARITANS: 0800 726 666