Reach Out Walla Walla is a grass roots community group that came together in 2017 to address substance and su***de prevention in Walla Walla. Since their inception, they have been able to partner with several community agencies to provide training on mental health, substance abuse and su***de prevention. Providence SMMC to provide Youth Mental Health and Mental Health First Aid Classes free to community members. https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/
Walla Walla Public Schools, College Place Public Schools, Walla Walla Valley Academy, Prescott School District, and DeSales High School to provide Sources of Strength. The mission of Sources of Strength is to prevent su***de by increasing help seeking behaviors and promoting connections between peers and caring adults. Sources of Strength moves beyond a singular focus on risk factors by utilizing an upstream approach for youth su***de prevention. https://sourcesofstrength.org/
Reach Out Walla Walla Walla has also partners with several community individuals and agencies to develop the "Men in the Middle" campaign. This campaign is specifically targeted to reach men in the middle years . Although men is this age group (34-64) represent 19% of the US population, they account for 40% of the su***de deaths. Su***de is not easy to talk about, and the issue defies simple explanation. Statistics cut across age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Su***de is often the unfortunate outcome of a person struggling with a diagnosable mental health disorder, and yet less than 10% of the general public feel confident in identifying the warning signs or attempting to intervene. Reach Out also provides the Strengthening Families program in partnership with Commitment to Community and Blue Mountain Action Council. Strengthening Families 10-14 is a seven-session program for families including their children, that aims to enhance family protective and resiliency processes and reduce family risk related to adolescent substance abuse and other problem behaviors. This program is available in both English and Spanish with three trained facilitators. Funding is also being provided be the Washington Health Care Authority, Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative.
