Carroll County commissioners spotlight suicide prevention efforts

Carroll County commissioners proclaimed September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month at the Sept. 8 meeting and discussed ways to assist local health officials.

Present at the meeting were Health Commissioner Kelly Morris; Leslie Korn, manager of community services at the Adams Board; Carly Thompson, drug court coordinator for the Carroll County Court of Common Pleas; Weslee Warner, clinical director for Southeast Healthcare; Lisa Winkler, community prevention coordinator at the Carroll County Health Department; Angela Pavlik, community news coordinator; and Edward L. Hale, Lee Township resident and suicide awareness advocate.

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. and a pressing public health issue locally. In 2024, Carroll County lost nine residents to suicide — more than double the state average — and by mid-2025, eight more lives had already been lost. Health officials stressed the importance of breaking the stigma around mental health, fostering open conversations and recognizing the work of community agencies and health care providers addressing this crisis.

Hale shared personal stories and news examples showing how suicide impacts people across all ages and professions, from veterans to first responders to youth. He displayed a board with headlines and stories regarding various accounts of local suicides as a visual aid.

“Help is available, hope is real and no one must face challenges alone,” Hale said. “Talking about suicide isn’t harmful, silence is. Silence can cost lives, while conversations can save them.”

Morris outlined local initiatives, including the Suicide Fatality Review Board, which found that most local suicides involve men over 50 and firearms. Prevention programs such as Man Therapy, Hope Sunday faith-based events and QPR (Question, Persuade, Respond) training aim to normalize mental health discussions and equip residents to intervene when someone is in crisis. SAVE22 is always available for veterans struggling with mental health.

Leaders emphasized the need for gun safety measures and additional support for older adults facing life-changing diagnoses such as dementia or cancer.

“A lot of these are impulse decisions, and if we can do something that delays that impulse decision by just a few seconds, then we can save lives,” Morris said. “We are trying to figure out how we can work with health care workers and physicians as they are giving the diagnoses to let the family make a safety plan if there are firearms in the home. Many of us have firearms in our homes because hunting is a pastime in a rural community.”

Beyond suicide prevention, Morris and the commissioners discussed broader community support efforts, such as monthly pop-up food pantries serving more than 100 families, a new pharmacy program offering low-cost and donated medications and upcoming wellness events.

The pop-up food pantry is held the first Wednesday of every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Church of Christ on Moody Avenue.

The charitable pharmacy, offered in partnership with Beacon Pharmacy and the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, operates at the Carroll County Health Department the first and third Wednesdays of each month. The pharmacy also accepts donations of unexpired, non-narcotic medications, including insulin and blood pressure medication, through the health department. These are relabeled and dispensed to those in need.

Residents were reminded of important phone numbers for key resources, including 211 for community services, 988 for mental health crises and 911 for emergencies.

In other business, commissioners:

— Paid the bills of $395,687.31.