Youth suicide tackled

New suicide prevention initiatives have been launched after the recent sudden deaths of four Wairarapa youths.

Wairarapa District Health Board Chief executive Tracey Adamson said at yesterday's meeting the response from the community to the deaths had been "phenomenal".

"We've been credited nationally for how we've responded," she said.

The DHB co-ordinated a response involving many community groups and agencies.

Meetings were held focusing on identifying children at risk, providing clear and consistent messages, and providing telephone contacts for the community.

"We've had no further youth suicides," she said. "For me, that's the only indicator."

Mrs Adamson said the DHB had also trained hundreds of people including teachers, councillors, victim support staff and priests to help with suicide prevention.

"We've trained over 600 people right across the community," she said.

Mrs Adamson said they were in the process of appointing the inter-agency response group co-ordinator.

Barry Taylor, who was formerly the suicide prevention co-ordinator, has left for Sydney to manage a national suicide prevention project.

"We've identified a person who is going to work between one and two days a week," Mrs Adamson said. Mr Taylor's position was previously full time.

She also said the board started a Facebook page in an effort to spread the right messages.