WHEREAS, suicide is the 10th leading cause of all deaths in the United States; and the 2nd leading cause of death for ages 10-24, and

WHEREAS, Veteran suicide rate averages 22 every day or over 10 times the number of deaths in combat operations in the same time period, and

WHEREAS, over 50% of people who die by suicide use a firearm, and guns stored in the house are used for suicide 40 times more often than for self-protection; (4) and

WHEREAS, Curry County ranks 1st in the state in total veterans who commit suicide , and

WHEREAS, according to the 2014 Oregon Student Wellness Survey as applied to Brookings-Harbor, 16.8% of 8th graders, and 28.7% of 11th graders seriously consider attempting suicide during the 12 months before the survey, and

WHEREAS, the stigma associated with mental illness and suicide works against suicide prevention by discouraging persons at risk for suicide from seeking lifesaving help and further traumatizes survivors of suicide;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ron Hedenskog, Mayor of the City of Brookings, hereby declare September, 2015 as

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that: To encourage schools, students, parents, health care workers, religious institutions, and community organizations to engage in a variety of awareness and prevention activities designed to remove the stigma around suicide.

DATED this ___ day of August, 2015.

In Witness Whereof, I, Mayor Ron Hedenskog, do hereto set my hand and cause the official seal of the City of Brookings, Oregon, to be affixed this __ Day of August, 2015.

____________________
Mayor Ron Hedenskog