The Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) is recognizing the month of September as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. Suicide Prevention Month is a time set aside to remember lives lost to suicide, and the families and communities who have been forever changed by this loss.
Each year DCMH, together with NAMI Westchester, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, creates a butterfly display at the Healing Garden at Ridge Road Park. The Healing Garden, which was unveiled in 2022, was created to provide a permanent place for reflection for family members and loved ones of those who died by suicide.
The butterflies represent the “butterfly effect,” encouraging small changes in behavior to result in healthier outcomes. New to the Garden in 2024 is an informational kiosk to bring greater awareness and education of suicide prevention. To represent the 67 lives lost in 2023 to suicide, 67 butterflies were placed at the garden.
Westchester County Commissioner of DCMH Michael Orth said: “Mental Health services have been a priority of County Executive Latimer’s, and we thank him for his support of the planning committee to create this safe space. The Healing Garden has given numerous people an opportunity and place to come to think about and reflect on loved ones who have been lost to suicide. By adding the kiosk and providing even more outreach and education, we hope to be able to share resources with those in crisis and help them find ways to make a different choice.”