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`It's high time to do something about suicide' -- Dawe continued from p.1 Last year in Canada, 4,300 people died by suicide, approximately more than double the number who died from an opioid overdose, said Dawe. "It's an emergency. It's a crisis and its been going on for decades," said Dawe, keynote speaker at the Halton Suicide Prevention Coalition-hosted event. This year marked the 15th World Suicide Prevention Day, an initiative of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, which has been endorsed by the World Health Organization. World Suicide Prevention Day takes place Sept. 10. This year's theme, said Dawe is: "Take a minute, change a life." Dawe, who also chairs the Ontario Hospital Association's (OHA) Task Force on Suicide Prevention Standards, leads a group of provincial experts to bring standards to Ontario's hospitals in the area of suicide prevention. While much has been written and said about Canada's opioid crisis, Dawe told the audience of about 75 people that suicide has not yet received the same kind of attention. "In this country, we don't think about suicide as a crisis," said Dawe, adding that suicide rates in Canada have not changed in the past 15 years. not what we need." Sam Fiorella, who was part of a panel discussion during the evening, lost his son to suicide. Fiorella said his son, like the vast majority of youths, didn't talk about suicide. "I lost my son to suicide and we never had a conversation (about suicide)," Fiorella said. Many people blame television shows like 13 Reasons Why, about a young woman who takes her own life. "The responsibility is on the parent," he added. In an effort to change that, Fiorella helped found the Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench, created in memory of his son, a second-year university student who took his own life after silently battling with depression. The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench was created to create a physical place where people who can't ask for help may still receive assistance. Fiorella speaks to students and teachers to raise awareness of the stressors that exist, highlighting methods for prevention, and encouraging greater dialogue in order to remove the stigma associated with mental health challenges. Halton Regional Police Constable Kristopher Elliott, who also spoke during the panel discussion, said that 10 years ago police were not at the table, responding to calls about mental health. "We're dealing with mental health calls every hour," Elliott added. "We've evolved greatly on how we (police) respond." Halton Regional Police have developed a mental health care initiative, in partnership with St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, called the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team. Elliott said specially trained police officers work with mental health councillors to come up with a plan to help people cope -- rather than removing people from their homes. Dawe pointed out that access to mental health care services varies with regions and provinces -- with some people waiting up to 100 days to receive care. That's why he became involved with the OHA task force. "There's a lot to improve." Dawe said Trillium Health Partners is working in partnership with the Peel District School Board, the Peel Children's Centre, the Mississauga Halton Health Integration Network, Region of Peel and Province of Ontario to reduce suicide to zero by 2027. "I think it's high time to do something about suicide," Dawe added. 3 | Friday September 15, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insidehalton.com Sam Fiorella helped found the Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench, created in memory of his son, a second-year university student who took his own life after silently battling with depression. | Metroland Media file photo Every year, more than 800,000 people die by suicide, and up to 25 times more people try to suicide attempt, according to the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Dawe, who has 25 years experience working in suicide prevention, admits the subject is a difficult topic to discuss. Part of the problem is that previ- ous research believed that talking about suicide could influence people to start thinking about it. "I've changed my mind completely about that," he added. Dawe said suicide is a public health issue and health care providers need to elevate the conversation about it. 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