Joint news release with the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
The Yukon joins 9 other Canadian jurisdictions today in becoming new participants in the community-based Roots of Hope national suicide prevention initiative.
Roots of Hope is an evidence-informed model launched in 2018 by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) and is designed to help communities develop suicide prevention guidelines and tools that meet specific needs. The Roots of Hope project is based on community engagement and input from people with lived experience. It focuses on five pillars: specialized support; training and networks; public awareness campaigns; research; and means safety.
Yukon Mental Wellness and Substance Use Services will lead the new initiative and explore partnership opportunities with First Nations, municipal governments, non-governmental organizations and Yukon University. While its focus will be on the territory as a whole, it will begin in five communities: Dawson City, Old Crow, Haines Junction, Beaver Creek and Whitehorse.
It is important that communities have access to the specific tools they need to address mental health challenges and create suicide prevention initiatives that work for the people in their community. The Yukon is very pleased to take part in the Roots of Hope initiative to help empower Yukoners and communities across the country in addressing mental health challenges and preventing suicide. This initiative is a chance for us to participate in a national effort that is focused on promoting life and preventing suicides while reducing their impacts when they do occur.
I am deeply invested in the success of our suicide prevention efforts because we know that if a region binds together and levels its resources, creativity, and determination, we can weave prevention into the fabric of our communities. Now, more than ever, we have a collective responsibility to look out for one another.
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Involving communities in assessing their local health and social needs and planning local health and social programs and services that meet their needs and are culturally safe was a recommendation put forward in the Putting People First report.
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Each year, approximately 4,000 people in Canada take their own lives.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Michael Edwards
Communications, Health and Social Services
867-667-8539
michael.edwards@yukon.ca