California Health Care Facility (CHCF) staff and population joined together in a suicide prevention and awareness walk. Recognizing National Suicide Prevention and Awareness month, the walk is the first the institution has hosted.
Over 200 staff and incarcerated persons participated in completing 12 laps. They totaled over 600 miles to remember and honor those who have lost their lives to suicide. Participants wrote messages of hope and names on a remembrance board to family, friends, and loved ones.
The Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) and community-based organization Central Valley Tender Health and Wellness assisted in the event. Staff and incarcerated population were provided pamphlets on warning signs and action steps to help prevent suicide.
The incarcerated raised $1,000 for a local nonprofit JJ’s Hello Foundation.
The foundation’s mission is to prevent youth suicide and promote mental health awareness. They try to create a message of hope for pre-teens, teens, and young adults in our community.
“Thank you, Warden Jones, for championing this event. It was enlightening and I learned quite a lot about the impact of suicide has on the life of the incarcerated, staff, and those outside the prison walls,” said Simmons, an incarcerated individual at CHCF.
Story submitted by Michelle Orozco, AA/PIO
California Health Care Facility
