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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Speare Memorial Hospital
(603) 536-1120
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September 24, 2007 |
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SMH Offers New Support Group for Survivors of Suicide Loss
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| PLYMOUTH, N.H. --- Every 18 minutes someone in the United States dies by suicide, and every 19 minutes someone is left to make sense of it, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Just ask Marcia VanderMast of Wentworth, she knows. It is the reason she has volunteered as the facilitator for Speare Memorial Hospital’s newest support group, Survivors of Suicide Loss, beginning October 9.
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| VanderMast’s daughter died by suicide in July 2002. “It is a unique loss,” states VanderMast. “Your friends and family are sympathetic and compassionate, but it helps to talk to others who have experienced a similar loss.” She says she was helped by a support group for suicide loss survivors she found in Lebanon. Her healing continued when she completed a facilitator training program last November with AFSP. Based on a community need she had identified through her own experience, and a desire to help others, VanderMast approached SMH Social Services about starting a support group for suicide loss survivors locally.
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| “For so many survivors, a crucial part of their healing process is the support and sense of connection they feel through sharing their grief with others, “notes SMH’s Director of Social Services Kathy Wielizcko. “The most common way of sharing occurs through survivor support groups. This group provides a safe place where survivors can share their experience and support each other in working through their grief.
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| VanderMast agrees, “Suicide is still a loss that raises questions or judgments. Being able to grieve openly, in a safe and supportive environment is an important part of the healing process.”
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| The Survivors of Suicide Loss support group will meet the second Tuesday of each month, beginning October 9, from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Meetings will be held in SMH’s Social Services conference room, located on the second floor and accessible from the hospital’s main entrance. For more information contact Marcia VanderMast at (603) 764-4352 or Speare Memorial Hospital Social Services at (603) 536-1120.
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All support groups offered by Speare Memorial Hospital are free and also include: - Advance Directives: Free advance planning seminars for end-of-life care. Scheduled by appointment at 238-2216.
- Alzheimer Caregivers Support Group: Third Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. in the Social Services conference room. A safe and nurturing place for the caregiver to receive educational information and continuing support during the challenging time of caring for a loved one. Respite care is provided for patients while the caregiver is in the group, but pre-registration is required.
- Bereavement Support: First Thursday of every month at 2 p.m. in the Social Services conference room. A caring environment for individuals to discuss the loss of a loved one(s) and experience grief within a network of support.
- Compassionate Friends: Second Monday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Social Services conference room. A unique organization assisting families in the positive resolution of their grief following the death of a child.
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| Speare Memorial Hospital is a 24-hour, acute care, non-profit community hospital and health care provider serving Plymouth and the communities of central New Hampshire for more than a century.
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Michele Barney Hutchins
Director of Community Relations
Speare Memorial Hospital
(603) 238-6468
mhutchins@spearehospital.com
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