Townhall addresses high suicide rate in Mahoning County
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MINERAL RIDGE, Ohio - Mahoning County is seeing a high rate of suicide deaths this year.
The high rate led to Thursday night's community conversation on suicide prevention hosted by the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board.
So far in 2024, Mahoning County has documented 32 suicide deaths and is on pace to reach a new high for the fourth consecutive year.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services joined the townhall to help address the issue and come up with a plan of action.
"We're going to work in partnership with Duane Piccarilli here in the Mahoning Ward and try to craft solutions hand in hand with them," Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Director Leeanne Cornyn said. "We're identifying resources that we have at the state level that we can bring to bear here in this community to hopefully turn the tide."
21 News anchor Derek Steyer facilitated one of the two panels at the discussion.
One discussion was a deep dive into the trends and the other covered stigma, awareness and resources.
If you are struggling with your mental health, there are resources available.
If you are in a crisis, call the crisis hotline at 988.