Press Release: BHcare's Alliance for Prevention & Wellness Announces Youth Suicide Prevention Efforts in the Wallingford Community
Tracy Bruno
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
:
Eve Hein, Prevention Specialist - Garett Lee Smith/Partnerships for Hope and Healing Coordinator
BHcare’s Alliance Prevention and Wellness
(203) 800 - 7144 ext. 1877
eh...@bhcare.org
May 2025
Wallingford, CT – BHcare’s Alliance for Prevention and Wellness (APW) is proud to announce a new initiative supported by the Garett Lee Smith (GLS) and the Partnerships for Hope and Healing (PH2) Youth Suicide Prevention Grant, aimed at enhancing youth suicide prevention efforts and promoting mental health in the local Wallingford community.
In observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, APW, in collaboration with the Coalition for a Better Wallingword, is launching a series of initiatives focused on raising awareness, reducing stigma, and starting conversations around mental health and suicide prevention. These efforts include promotion of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and Connecticut’s statewide suicide prevention campaign 1 Word, 1 Voice, 1 Life.
Wallingford is a local recipient of the GLS/PH2 grant, a statewide effort funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Through this work, schools, community partners, and youth serving agencies are becoming equipped with tools and training needed to recognize warning signs of suicide, effective response to mental health concerns, and connections to care.
“Youth mental health is a priority, and we are committed to building a system of support that is proactive, compassionate, and accessible,” said Eve Hein, GLS Grant Coordinator at BHcare’s Alliance for Prevention and Wellness. “This work is about creating safe spaces where youth feel seen, supported, and empowered to ask for help.”
The Coalition for a Better Wallingford, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides support for families affected by substance use, plays a key role in these efforts. “As the youth outreach coordinator for the Coalition, the GLS/PH2 grant has afforded our nonprofit the ability to bring more mental health awareness to the youth in town,” said Kellie Kaminskas, co-lead of Wallingford’s Community-Level Suicide Prevention Team. “It’s allowed me to provide critical resources when I visit the middle and high schools and has supported the distribution of Mental Health Awareness Month goodie bags to local businesses. This month, we’re also partnering with APW and the Wallingford Health Department to offer a community-wide QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training.”
The community QPR training will take place on Monday, May 13 at 6:00 PM at the Coalition for a Better Wallingford, located at 136 Center Street. Anyone 17 and older is welcome and encouraged to attend. This free training teaches participants how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.
Two key teams are driving suicide prevention work in Wallingford:
- The Community-Level Suicide Prevention (CLSP) Team, led by the Coalition for a Better Wallingford focuses on data-driven action planning to develop suicide prevention strategies, community outreach, and crisis planning for the Wallingford community.
- The Multi-Tiered Suicide Prevention (MTSP) Team, composed of Wallingford Public Schools staff, is implementing evidence-based programming and training to promote student mental wellness and improve identification and support for at-risk youth within the school district.
To expand the reach of these efforts, goodie bags containing 988 Lifeline and 1 Word, 1 Voice, 1 Life materials are being shared with local businesses across Wallingford to spark conversations and promote awareness of mental health resources.
If you or someone you know is struggling, dial or text 988, or visit //988lifeline.org/chat to connect with trained crisis counselors. Support is available in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language.
For more information about suicide prevention efforts in Wallingford or to get involved, contact Eve Hein at eh...@bhcare.org or Kellie Kaminskas at youtho...@cbwlfd.org.
The Alliance for Prevention & Wellness, a program of BHcare, is the Regional Behavioral Health Organization (RBHAO) for the DMHAS Region II service area. APW’s mission is to foster positive mental health by preventing substance misuse and other health-risk behaviors, and by building resources that promote wellness. For more information, please visit APW-CT.org
CT PH2 Initiative (24MHA1012) is funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
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Tracy Bruno
Marketing & Communications Manager
BHcare
127 Washington Ave., 3rd Floor West
North Haven, CT 06473
(203)446-9739 ext.1152