October 7, 2020

Suicide is the Leading Cause of Death in Ohioans Ages 10-14: Join Ohio AAP’s FREE Store It Safe Teen Suicide Prevention Fundraiser!

Did you know suicide is the leading cause of death among Ohio teens and preteens ages 10 to 14 and the second leading cause of death among Ohioans ages 15 to 34? Or that the adolescent suicide rate has increased by 56% over the past 10 years? As the statistics indicate, teen suicide was already becoming an increasingly serious issue, but the COVID-19 pandemic has also had a significant impact. Stay-at-home orders & changes in school schedules have created the perfect storm for increased mental health issues & suicide risks in teens.

Ohio AAP has been dedicated to working on this concern since 2015 with the creation of the Store It Safe Teen Program. Store It Safe brought together partners from many sectors, including healthcare providers, injury and mental health experts, and firearms experts with the common goal to prevent suicide in teens through safe storage practices.  The program aims to identify teens with mental health concerns, provide appropriate interventions, and create barriers to the most lethal means for suicide.

Are you wondering how you can help support teen mental health and suicide prevention? At this year’s 2020 Annual Meeting, we will be hosting a virtual fundraiser to support the Store It Safe Program. This is such an important and timely message that we have recently made the decision to make the event FREE for all to attend. We want everyone to have the means to join and learn more about teen mental health and safe storage practices to prevent suicide. Don’t just take our word- hear from Ohio AAP Past-President, Dr. Mike Gittelman on why he is supporting the SIS fundraiser!

Suicide is the second leading cause of death to teens. Suicide by firearm is 100% preventable if impulsive teens have no access to a weapon – similar to preventing toddler pool drownings by having a barrier or four-sided fence around a swimming pool. It’s time we spread this message to increase barriers to firearms and prevent teen suicide completion.

-Mike Gittelman, MD, FAAP, Professor, Clinical Pediatrics Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

SIS Fundraiser Registration

2020 Reversing the Trend of Irreversible Actions-Store It Safe Virtual Fundraiser

  • Interdisciplinary panel on teen suicide prevention-Featuring our Injury Prevention Medical Directions Dr. Mike Gittelman and Dr. Sarah Denny plus Denise Meine-Graham from Franklin County Loss. Also back this year due to overwhelming requests from members last year is teen advocate, Jeremy Hardjono! 
  • Official launch of the “I Pledge to Store it Safe” campaign with gun box and resource giveaways
  • Ohio AAP Awards Ceremony to honor distinguished pediatricians and advocates

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ohio AAP Practice Manager Discussion Board - Disclaimer

This page is for practice managers and office employees to discuss issues they’re experiencing in their practices. Many problems that we hear about can help other practices, so we invite you to share best practices by posting issues and by responding to issues other practices are experiencing. This page is monitored by the Ohio AAP. Advice and opinions expressed on these discussion boards are the views of the poster and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ohio AAP. If you have any issues, questions, or feedback, please contact Melanie Farkas.