Nā Kia‘i O Ke Ola: Suicide awareness and prevention at UH Hilo
In the four years since the start of a campus-wide suicide prevention program, organizers have seen a noted increase in students seeking help through counseling services, support groups, and other campus resources.
By Lara Hughes/UH Hilo Stories.
A program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo to raise awareness about suicide and suicide prevention is currently completing its fourth year. Staff at the Nā Kiaʻi O Ke Ola Guardians of Life Suicide Prevention Program has implemented 125 suicide prevention trainings with over 1,300 students, faculty, staff, and Hawaiʻi Island community members participating. The trainings assist people on campus and in the local community in identifying warning signs of suicide and knowing how to take appropriate action.
“We have anecdotal information from those who are trained that they feel empowered to help others save their own lives,” says Sulma Gandhi, director of UH Hilo Student Health and Wellness Programs. Gandhi oversees various health and wellness services on campus including counseling services and medical services.
Gandhi says since implementing the suicide prevention program on campus, she has seen an increase in help-seeking behavior such as students visiting counseling services, attending support groups, and utilizing campus resources. She says she also has seen a reduction in the stigma surrounding mental health.
The suicide prevention program is carried out by Yolisa Duley, a sociology lecturer and health education program specialist, Nancy Lombard, a health education grant management associate, and Felicia Andrew, a nursing student.
Funding of the program began in August 2012 through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
As the current grant comes to a close, the UH Hilo suicide prevention team is reviewing the program’s accomplishments and looking at ways to sustain the program into the future.
Duley and Lombard have created an on-campus committee to ensure that suicide prevention remains a part of UH Hilo programming. The committee consists of members from the student body, faculty, and staff and represents various programs and colleges. Several members have been trained as Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) instructors, others will be taking on roles as resource people in the QPR classroom, and still others will be implementing awareness activities.
Staff of the Nā Kiaʻi O Ke Ola program also have worked in partnership with the East Hawaiʻi Suicide Prevention Task Force.
“Ongoing collaboration will ensure reciprocal support and continued visibility in the community,” explains Duley.
This collaboration includes placement of National Suicide Prevention Lifeline cards and health and wellness information in restrooms throughout campus.
Duley says these efforts, in conjunction with the work of Student Health and Wellness Programs, will ensure that suicide awareness and prevention continues on campus.
“Mahalo to all those who have helped to make this program a success,” she says.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Number is 1-800-273-8255.
Story by Lara Hughes, a junior at UH Hilo majoring in business administration. She is a public information intern in the Office of the Chancellor.
