The Genesee County Legislature on Wednesday afternoon threw its support behind the community’s cooperative efforts to help those with substance use disorder and to prevent suicides.
The legislature issued a proclamation acknowledging Sept. 4-10 as National Suicide Prevention Week and September 2022 as National Recovery Month – “when millions of people around the world join their voices to share a message of hope and healing.”
Representatives of Genesee County Mental Health Services, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Mental Health Association and Genesee County Suicide Prevention Coalition were on hand at the Old County Courthouse as Legislator Gregg Torrey, chair of the Human Services Committee, read the proclamation aloud.
In part, the decree states that county residents “have access to high quality prevention, support, rehabilitation, and treatment services that lead to recovery and a healthy lifestyle, and every day … people begin treatment at behavioral health services and community supports and begin the road to wellness and recovery.”
Furthermore, “Suicide Prevention Week and Recovery Month inspire millions of Americans to raise awareness, build resiliency, and find hope.”
Sue Gagne, a Suicide Prevention Coalition leader, said the proclamation “shines a light on the people who are considering suicide or battling addiction – who often feel very alone in their pain. And it shines a light on all who have lost a loved one to suicide or overdose, allowing them to feel seen.”
Photo: Taking part in the reading of the National Suicide Prevention Week and National Recovery Month proclamation are, from left, Legislator Gregg Torrey; Bob Riccobono, clinical director of Genesee County Mental Health Services; Cheryl Netter, Nickole Millette, Sue Gagne and Amy Kabel of GCASA; Diana Bucknam of the Mental Health Association and Genesee County Suicide Prevention Coalition, and Rachel Mieney, clinical social worker of Genesee County Mental Health Services. Photo by Mike Pettinella.
