- A federal grant will allow the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Lehigh County to launch a new program
- The LOSS Team is designed to provide resources and hope to families caught in the immediate aftermath of suicide
- The coalition is seeking volunteers with empathy, listening skills and experience with trauma who can help grieving families
EDITORS NOTE: This article contains potentially distressing content involving suicide. If you or a loved one is going through a crisis, dial 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Nancy and Todd Salomon lost their 13-year-old son Craig to suicide in 2020. They were blindsided. He was popular, well-rounded and involved in scouting. But Craig had ADHD and could be impulsive, Nancy said.
"We sat stunned for a very long time. And we realized we could let this destroy us, define us or develop us. We still have two other kids we have to raise," she said.
In the nearly three years since, the Lower Macungie Township family has thrown themselves into advocacy for mental health, especially for teenagers and children. The Salomons said they are already involved with the nonprofit Aevidum, which focuses on depression, suicide and other issues facing teenagers. Now, they're helping organize the new Local Outreach for Suicide Survivors, or LOSS Team.
"My son still had his baby teeth. He had a lot more life to go, so I get it — on a level nobody should get it."Lower Macungie resident Nancy Salomon
The program, which is being led by the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Lehigh County, aims to connect trained volunteers with survivors of suicide in the immediate aftermath of their loss. Nancy and Todd said they want to serve in a role almost like first responders, providing resources and hope to the newly bereaved. But they said they also recognize their own grief may still be too fresh for them to take on that role.
"Our hope and goal is to be there. I know if I hear about any parent who loses their little kid, I know what they feel like," Nancy said. "My son still had his baby teeth. He had a lot more life to go, so I get it — on a level nobody should get it."
Nationally, the Salomons are becoming less of an outlier. Suicide rates across the United States have increased from 10.7 deaths out of every 100,000 in 2001 to 14.1 deaths per every 100,000 in 2021. Lehigh County has recorded better trend lines of late; 2023 has seen 24 suicides, and the total has fallen every year since 2020, according to the coalition. While those local number is relatively encouraging, it's still a terrible burden on the community, said Bill Vogler, the CEO of Pinebrook Family Answers.
"Each one of those numbers on the piece of paper in front of you represents a precious life that was lost and the ripples that extend outside of those lives are huge. Those are not even the tip of the iceberg," Vogler said.
With support from Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, his organization secured a federal grant of more than $197,000 to launch the LOSS Team program. The money will go toward hiring a project manager and a project assistant along with other costs to get it off the ground. They are also looking for volunteers capable of being good listeners, empathizing and anticipating the needs the families will experience. While having first-hand experience as a survivor of suicide may help, it is not a requirement for the position, Vogler said.
While the Lehigh Valley often celebrates its economic development accomplishments and overall growth, Wild said organizations like Pinebrook and the coalition don't get the recognition they deserve for strengthening the region and making it more resilient. Wild expressed gratitude that society has become more open about discussing mental health, and she said it's become important that she use her platform to raise awareness about the national epidemic of suicide.
It's an issue that Wild knows too well. Months after first taking the oath of office, she delivered an emotional speech from the House floor revealing her life partner Kerry Ackers had died of suicide. After she shared her family's incomprehensible loss, Wild said, people across the country reached out to her to share their own stories of loss and suicidal ideation. When Pinebrook and the coalition approached her about the LOSS Team, she said was proud they were not only taking steps to help those considering suicide but the families left behind to pick up the pieces.
"It was a no-brainer for me to get behind it," Wild said.
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer with the LOSS Team can attend a two-day educational workshop being organized by the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Lehigh County on Oct. 16 and 17. The workshop, which runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1110 American Parkway in Allentown, will feature Dr. Frank Campbell, an expert suicidologist. It is free and open to all interested in suicide prevention. To learn more, contact Allison Frantz at 484-201-1249.
