'Facing Suicide' examines urgent health care challenge

Published 01.27.2023

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A half-hour film – a collaborative production of WVIA, PBS and NPR – provides grist for a productive discussion.Valuable resources accent the presentation and discussion.Chris Norton, senior vice president of WVIA, serves as moderator ...... facilitating a fruitful dialogue that included insight from an authoritative panel. Seated from left are Jordan G. Williams, coach of the Wildcat men's lacrosse team; Barbara J. Vanaskie, Medication Assisted Treatment coordinator for the West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission; Heather Way, the Williamsport Area School District's mental health and trauma coordinator for grades 7-12; and Linda L. Locher, a counselor and associate professor at Penn College.Words of positivity, encouragement and self-careWith suicide robbing the nation of tens of thousands of promising lives each year, a Tuesday forum sponsored by Student Affairs at Penn College confronted the issue with candor, compassion and expertise. Following the screening of the "Facing Suicide" documentary in Penn's Inn, discussion by community panelists helped frame the focus on mental health and suicide prevention.
Photos by Alexis M. Burrell, student photographer