ECU Well being, Bertie County Sheriff’s Workplace launch suicide prevention program

BERTIE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – ECU Well being is partnering with a neighborhood sheriff’s workplace to stop suicide.

A easy lock and key will be the beginning of serving to Bertie County residents stop suicides.

Gun locks are actually out there totally free to anybody within the county, due to a partnership with ECU Well being and the Bertie County Sheriff’s Workplace. The entities just lately launched a firearm security and suicide prevention program,

Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin was simply sworn into his position in December and a program like that is one thing he didn’t need to go up.

“It’s not an enormous drawback in Bertie County, however one of many issues we need to do is keep forward of the sport so it won’t change into an issue,” Ruffin stated.

ECU Well being Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Breanna Culler, says present statistics present, it’s a rising drawback.

“Throughout the state, we’ve seen an increase in gunshot wounds, gun violence and we’ve additionally seen an increase in suicide charges,” Culler stated.

One issue Culler believes could also be enjoying a job in that rise, is the variety of weapons in households.

“We all know that in rural counties and in areas the place searching is an enormous pastime in Japanese Carolina, these rural communities usually tend to have weapons in that dwelling,” Culler stated.

Ruffin tells WITN they at the moment have 75-gun locks and as soon as they run out they’ll get extra. When you’re considering getting one, all you’ve received to do is cease by the Sheriff’s Workplace.

ECU Well being has reached out to different sheriff’s workplaces within the east to launch the firearm security and suicide prevention program.

Bertie County is the one one to get again to them to date.

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