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Conference tackles black suicides BY COURTNEY GAILLARb i THE CHRONICLE ; The National Organization for ? People of Color Against Suicide !(NOPCAS) will hold its Annual | Conference in Durham Feb. 1-2 at the Durham Mairiott Civic Cen ter. Local NOPCAS members will partner with a network of N.C. ; Agencies to host this year's con ? ference. which has a theme of 1 "Breaking the Silence: Speaking ;Out on Depression and Suicide." ;The conference will focus on ? youths and community crisis ^response to suicide. Keynote | speaker Dr. David Litts. special ?assistant to the U.S. surgeon gen eral. will speak on the national ! strategy. ; This year's conference will be ?especially relevant. Suicide jamong communities of color is Tapidly increasing, especially among young people ages 10-24 years. The surgeon general recent ly called the trend a national "health crisis, draw ing major atten tion to this portion of the popula tion that is succumbing as a result of mental illnesses that are treat able and, more important, pre ventable. North Carolina leads the .nation in the rate of increase of suicides among young men of -yolor. Nayo Watkins. NOPCAS .conference chair, says the escalat ing number of minority suicides eyas chosen as the conference's topft this year in order to draw .attention to this astounding epi ylentic that is hitting close to home. 7 "It all needs particular atten tion to communities of color hut everybody can get some info on and share to build local strategies at the conference," said Watkins. ^ ho says silence about depression and the stigma often associated with mental illness are major con tributors to suicide, "In most communities of color because there's such a drive 'to make it' exists, these issues live in tjnuch more secrecy and much more of a stigma becomes attached to people suffering with depression." Although depression and sui cide are problems for all kinds of people, the stigma is so grejtt in some communities that many peo ple of color don't want to face or ?admit it is a problem in their lives. ? "In society, we tend to stay *aWay from mental health issues -a^td hush it down. But it's a ?national public health crisis, it's ^nondiscriminatory and it hits ?everybody," Watkins said. > Watkins feels that black peo ple almost feel obligated to a ^degree to "get through" their prob ?lems. especially because many !share a history of such tremen . ysi a * dous hardships su6h as slavery and the struggle for ftvil rights. As a result, many feel no problem should be so great as to cause mental illness, Watkins said. "Today with the upwardly mobile trend since the 1960s for people of color, we now have two people working with good jobs. Many have come from humble beginnings and worked very hard; they don't want anybody telling them something is wrong and they don't want to recognize it." Watkins said. The suicide rate among African-American teens more than doubled between 1980 and 1998, with young black males as the fastest growing of all suicide groups. Rates for Native Ameri cans and Alaskan Natives also is rising - 50 percent higHbr than the national rate. Watkins also attributes the unfortunate battle with the glass ceiling that today's younger gen eration must still grapple with despite the struggles of their par ents' generations and even their ancestors before, for the rise in depression and suicide in the youth population. "During the 1960s black peo ple and other so-called minorities had great hopes for first-class citi zenship and for their children who were born into this integrated world with expectations of being successful. Still they run into the glass ceiling. That is a hindrance." Watkins said. "Hope is damaged, expectations becomes watered down and hopelessness sets in." Suicide is the third leading cause of death among youths 10 24 years of age. According to a report released last .September by the Injury and Violence Preven tion Unit of the N.C Department of Health and Human Services, historicaljyjyithin the young male population, white males have had a higher suicide mortality rate than their black male counterparts. But black male suicide has risen very sharply over the past 15 yearsc (more than UK) percent). The report also states that comparing North Carolina's youths to the nation's youths illus trates that suicides by firearms are more frequent within North Car olina than in the rest of the United States across age groups. The Centers for Disease Con trol reports a 105 percent national increase in the suicide rate between 1980 and 1996. in black males between 15 and 19 years of age. This has narrowed the margin that exists between the suicide mortality rates of white and black males. Stokes County has one of the highest mortality rates in the state, and Dr. Julia Simmons. Ph.D., L.P.C.. program director of Stokes County Suicide Prevention Alliance, says the group has spent the past 15 months trying to deter mine the reason why. Simmons cites cultural shifts, natural geo graphic isolation, changing cul ture, reduced agricultural income and focus as well as shifts in avail able community supports as fac tors that contribute to suicide rates in Stokes County. "This may be a community with problems but it's a communi ty that is really reaching out and trying to do something to solve the problems," Simmons said. Jane Miller, chair of the N.C. Youth Prevention Task Force, says that while these suicide statistics are trolling when you compare them regionally and nationally, it is important to dispel any myths or misconceptions about whom sui cide affects. Miller says task forces such as the one she chairs use the data to guide program development for those at risk and the professional community. "I don't think the public is informed about the issue enough. Because of the stigma about men tal health and treatment, people are reluctant to come in for servic es," Miller said. "They have to address their belief system about getting help to make progress in overcoming depression and sui cide." Miller added that the general misperception regarding suicide is that girls die of suicide and not boys. Although girls attempt sui cides more often. Miller says, males complete suicides more fre quently. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the national hot line number. 8(XV SUICIDE, or call CenterPoint Human Services at 725-7777. For more information on NOPCAS and the conference in February, contact Nayo Watkms at (919) 956-7672. I experts say there are a number of reasons why the number of blacks committing suicide is up. Some or those reasons will be discussed at an upcoming conference in Durham. WSSU receives $826,000 grant for biomedical research SPEC1A1 ID nil 1 HRONK 1 I The promising progress of Winston-Salem State Univer sity's biomedical research program has prompted an e x t e n - sion of a five year National I n s t i - tutes of Health grant for an addi ct i o n a 1 one-year $826,000 grant for the enhancqpient of WSSU's bio medical research infrastruc ture and biomedical research capability. WSSU received the 2001 2002 Research Infrastructure in Minority Institution (RIMI) grant from the National Cen ter for Research and Resources, National Institutes of Health. WSSU Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. is the principal investigator for the RIMI grant, and Dr. Kim Tan. direc tor of WSSU's Project Strengthen biomedical research program, is the pro gram director. "The receipt of this grant will help significantly enhance the university's bio medical research and research training capabilities." Martin said. "'This is a step forward in our goal of building an even more outstanding research program at WSSU." The grant provides sup ports in three categories of activities: a biomedical research component .in WSSU's Office of Sponsored Programs for research grant administrative support; enhancing the research labo ratory facility to make major equipment items accessible to students for exercises in bio chemistry, biotechnological techniques, cell biology, genetics instrument analysis, molecular biology, as well as the needs of researchers; and for the continuation of three collaborative biomedical research projects with WSSU scientists as principal investi gators. Those projects are being conducted by Dr. Azeez Aileru. assistant professor of neurophysiology in the department of life sciences; Dr. Richard Bennett Jr., pro fessor of biochemistry in the department of life sciences; and Tan. Aileru's research centers on the development of a one time cure for high blood pres sure through a new approach focusing on the nerves that control high blood pres sure and how factors such as stress a n d' physi c a I at 11 v 11 jr contribute to a sustained hypertension. The research of Bennett is focused on the development of a breast can cer early warning detection method, which will allow breast cancer victims an opportunity to seek medical treatment earlier. The focus of Tan's research is to establish an experimental tissue model of metjiylmercury intoxica tion to examine the effects methylmercury on the brain to develop a therapeutic cure. Aileru and Tan are collab orating with researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Bennett is collaborating with researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Martin Aileru Urantfunds to help black organ donations ; SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE DURHAM - Carolina Donor Services, the federally-designed ? organ procurement' organization ^serving 5.8 million people in North Carolina, recently received ? a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to ?fund and study the effect of awareness campaigns designed to 1 increase organ and tissue dona tions among African-American ^ college students. The $1.2 million grant will fund both research and education .over the next three years on the ;campuses~of-four historically black colleges and universities: N.C. A&T University. N.C. Cen tral University. Saint Augustine's College and Fayetteville State ; University. "We have worked hard the i pilst few years to make sure peo ple know that North Carolina is serious about saving lives by increasing the number of organ and tissue donors." said N.C. Sen. Howard N. Lee. The senator sponsored the Organ. Eye and Tissue Donor Registry bill signed into law by Gov. Michael Easley pn Dec. 6, 2(X)1. Carolina Donor Services will be working alongside the HBCU Health Alliance, an organization made up of education, nursing and health education faculty sta tioned at the four campuses. "Our goal is to enhance the quality of life in our communi ties," said Dr. Lorna H. Harris, N.C. A&T School of Nursing professor and principal investiga tor for the alliance. "Awareness and education about organ and tissue donation on our respective campuses will undoubtedly save and enhance lives and continues with pur mission of educating our students about life-changing deci sions. We look forward to helping build a model that gets positive results." Many more organ donations are needed to help the more than 78.000 people on the national transplant waiting list. Nearly. 5,500 patients awaiting trans plants die each year because of the shortage of organ donors. The recent grantees join 22 ongoing HHS-funded projects studying ways to increase con sent by families for donations, motivate individuals to declare their intent to donate and share their decisions w ith family mem bers. Those projects have received grants totaling about $23 million. \ s, peter'^erime Place \ Do you want to chase away those mid-winter blues? Let us help you! Announcing a new apartment complex for SENIOR CITIZENS - Apply Now for Residency at St. Peter's Heritage Place (located off Old Lexington Road) Win ston-Salem. NC. NEW APARTMENT COMPLEX FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. AGE 62 AND OLDER One bedroom, one bath apartments feature Carpeting. Electric Heat and Air Condition ing. Range and Refrigerator. Handicap Accessible Knits are available. Rent based on income. Addi tional features at St. Peter's include Day Room, Ten ant Storage. Multipurpose Room, Craft Room. Courtyard, On-Site Laundry Facilities, Public trans portation within walking distance. [ Open House | Vy. February 2,2002 ?; 10 am -2 pm | 3727 Old Lexington Kd.^--^ "Winston-Salem, NC__V^ For application or information Call: 336-765-0424 Hearing Impaired: 1-800-735-2962 or write: . St. Peter's Heritage Place Community Management Corporation P. O. Box 25168 Winston-Salem, NC 27114-5168 . Equal Housing Opportunity 1 s 5 I ?? I a ! ! 3 ? 0 1 3 ! I I | I I ! ? i
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Jan. 24, 2002, edition 1
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