ASHLAND — An Ashland nonprofit will host its fifth-annual Suicide Awareness and Prevention Walk in September, but it will be the second time a virtual option will be available for participants as COVID-19 continue to spread.
The Mental Health and Recovery Board of Ashland County will host the event from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sept. 26. The walk will start and end at Ashland University’s John C. Myers Convocation Center on Jefferson Street.
There were nine suicide deaths in Ashland County in 2020, a slight increase from 2019’s seven lives lost, according to the Ashland County Coroner’s Office.
Ashley Ackerman, director of programs at the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Ashland County, said the pandemic through 2020 created a “perfect storm” surrounding mental health.
“Though we are only just beginning to see the tip of the iceberg regarding the pandemic and mental health/suicide, preliminary studies indicate an increase in social isolation, increased anxiety and depression, and reduced mental wellness overall,” she said.
Ackerman said people everywhere are experiencing more stress in their lives — from physical and mental health to job and finances and balancing the demands of work and home life.
“To add to that, many have lost loved ones to covid and are grieving significant losses,” she said.
Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in Ohio in 2019 and had five times as many deaths than in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
It was the second leading cause of death in Ohio for those aged 10-34.
Ackerman said the walk event will give people the opportunity to connect with others and “find hope.”
“And to refocus on opening the curtains, so to speak; so that even during this pandemic, people know they are cared for and that they can still find the guiding light of hope,” she said.
The MHRB suicide event was held virtually last year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This year, the event will take place in person and virtually because of its success last year and in recognition of the recent “uptick” in cases.
Ashland County Health Department has reported 707 cases this month, 28 hospitalizations and two deaths. The month of August saw 635 cases, 55 hospitalizations and 11 deaths.
