Lighting the Way East Cork, an information booklet for people bereaved through suicide, was launched last week in Pairc ui Cuiv by Ronnie Dorney, Principal Community Worker with the Cork South Community Work Department of HSE Cork/Kerry Community Healthcare.
The booklet aims to improve the level of information and support available in the community following a death by suicide. The pack will be used by the gardaí, health professionals and others who are liaising with people bereaved by suicide.
Lighting the Way East Cork contains useful information about the range of supports that can be accessed in the community in the aftermath of a suicide, how to make contact with services and what to expect when you do. The booklet lists national supports such as websites, helpline contact details along with other supports offered locally such as bereavement support groups and training around suicide awareness and prevention.
The booklet was produced through a partnership between HSE Community Work Departments, HSE staff of the Health Action Zone (HAZ) initiative, An Garda Síochána and other community partners in East Cork.
It is the fifth such resource booklet published for Cork, which means that there are now five editions of suicide bereavement resource booklets available across Cork, each one unique to a particular area.
The HSE Cork Kerry Community Health Care Community Work Department developed a Bag of Hope for yesterday's launch which were distributed to community groups at the event.
The bags contain resources reminding everyone of the importance of mental health and how to look after it, and link back to the successful Little Things campaign.
Lord Mayor Cllr Tony Fitzgerald and the Mayor of Cork County Declan Hurley spoke at the launch. Mayor Fitzgerald said the main message he received from the school children he met on his school visits was that we need to be kind to each other. Mayor Hurley said we all have a role to play in preventing suicide by being a friend or just being there for our friends or relations who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. Sinead Glennon, the head of Mental Health Services with Cork Kerry Community Healthcare said: “We can now offer a solid resource pack to those who may need to provide support to family or friends of a loved one who has died by suicide. This helps to deliver a key objective from the Connecting for Life Cork 2017-2020 which emphasises the continued support of persons, families and communities bereaved through suicide.
"Under Connecting for Life, there are several projects underway to support families and communities and to help them navigate pathways to care and support. The pack will be used by the gardaí, health professionals and others who are liaising with people bereaved by suicide. It will provide practical information about accessing supports locally and nationally and it will also be of benefit to other colleagues in the community as a signposting resource and information pack.”
Lighting the Way East Cork and the four other Lighting the Way resources are all available on hse.ie.
