The Boothbay region community is encouraged to attend a youth suicide prevention forum at the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor on Sunday, October 1 at 1 p.m.

The program is being hosted by the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library and will be presented by professionals in the Mental Health field locally and throughout the State.

Keynote Speaker Tim Sample will address why it is important to become involved and become educated on this serious and sensitive issue. Sample grew up in the Boothbay region and has been a spokesperson for the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) of Maine.

Moderator and resident Holly Stover of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will introduce members of the community who have been identified as "community connectors."

"Connectors" are individuals within our region in contact with our youth that they have come to respect and trust.

Community Connectors scheduled to attend, to date, are Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES) guidance counselors Linda Lupton and Jeanne Tonon, BRES/BRHS school nurse Lori Grinnell, YMCA Youth Outreach Coordinator Matt Thompson, YMCA Teen Center Director Kitty Ives, the Reverend Sarah Foulger of the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor, Paula Arsenault and Rebekah Wells of the Boothbay Region Youth Alliance and Head Librarian Pat Brunell.

Carrie Horne of NAMI Maine will address the myths about suicide, the risk factors and groups at risk, triggers and warning signs.

A panel will be present to answer questions from the audience. The panel is comprised of Steve Addario of Sweetser Crisis Services, Dr Steven Feder of Harborside Professional Center, and Chief Robert Hasch of the Boothbay Harbor Police Department, social worker Tammy Blackman of St. Andrews Hospital and the BRHS Student Health Center and Horne.

Refreshments will be provided by True North Events and Catering at the end of the 90-minute program.

This community conversation is being held in response to members of the community who have approached Library Program Director Diane Dorbin for information surrounding this issue.

"When some of our patrons came in looking for this information, I discovered we had very little," said Dorbin. "I checked with other libraries and they had little or none. Because libraries connect the communities they serve with information and resources, a forum on the subject seemed the best way to provide that service."

"What we really want to do," said Stover, "is provide people with education, increased awareness, and knowledge of the resources that exist."

Resources available on the Web are numerous. Here are some taken from the MYSPP Web site:

Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program:

www.mainesuicideprevention.org;

National Alliance on Mental Illness:

www.nami.org;

Suicide Prevention Action Network:

www.spanusa.org;

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov.