Williamson County is doing its part during September’s National Suicide Prevention Month by offering to sponsor care packages aimed at helping youthful residents.
At this week’s regular meeting of the Commissioners Court, officials read a proclamation recognizing the growing public health threat — now the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.
Texas and Williamson County are not immune to the scourge, it was noted.
There were 107 suicides in Williamson County in 2022, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with a provisional total of 100 for last year.
Samantha Cera, an emergency communications employee, created a “zero suicide kit” she wants to be issued to Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Intervention Team officers, school district police and those connected to mental-health calls.
“With the rise of suicide and mentalhealth calls we have, we are making something more personable than giving someone a business card or number to call,” Cera told commissioners, displaying one of the care packages.
She got the idea after attending an out-of-state course where a version of the kit was shown.
“When I got back, I wanted this to be something we could implement in this county,” she said.
The bags contain two doses of Narcan for treatment of narcotics overdose, a gun lock, a fidget spinner, stress balls, stickers with encouraging messages and a number of pamphlets outlining related resources, such as the Bluebonnet Trails Community Services that has been providing health care services for people in their home communities since 1997. “Just the kind of stuff that helps people who have overwhelming anxiety and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder),” Cera said. “Something that could help them take their mind off whatever they were going through.”
The centerpiece of the kit is a handwritten note in a large font crafted by Cera’s sister, emblazoned with the words, “This world needs you.” “You matter” another card reads, with the accompaniment of a smiley face icon.
Commissioners touted Cera’s efforts, including Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles, who acknowledged a learning curve in appreciating the pressures faced by youth today.
“I like to put things in context,” he said. “I’m 56 years old. I’ve had to learn to relate. These are feelings and thoughts I was not allowed to have growing up. My parents and their generation have a hard time comprehending, and I’ll say that my contemporaries often have a hard time comprehending.”
Trying to relate from a different time is counterproductive, Boles added.
“We want to relate it back to ‘when I was a young person,’ and that’s just not how it works. It almost works against us in the way we try to relate,” Boles said.
Judge Bill Gravell offered to personally donate $1,000 for the creation of additional bags and vowed to reimburse Cera for the roughly $150 he learned she had spent on the bags herself.
“You didn’t do this for recognition,” Gravell said. “But Samantha, you’re the picture-perfect example of what we want in county employees: People that do their job, but people that also dream. If this saves only one life, what’s it worth? It’s worth everything we have.”
Kathy Pierce, chairwoman of the county’s behavioral health task force, said young people are particularly at risk for suicide, especially given the pressures of social media.
“The thing is to start a conversation,” Pierce said. “It’s such a tragedy when it happens, and I know many of you have probably been impacted like I have with different people. It makes a difference when we reach out.”
Efforts are underway to bolster outreach efforts to those vulnerable to suicide, she said. The behavioral health task force is involved in developing a community health assessment and community health improvement plan amid upticks in suicide cases.
“It’s starting a collaborative group that can make a difference and get that information out to everybody,” Pierce said. “Getting the stigma dropped, that it’s OK to reach out to loved ones. We get that word out and look at trends.”
