Suicide prevention advocates, many public officials, and first responders have long wanted suicide prevention barriers at the French King Bridge in Franklin County. I hope that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) will stop the delay and prioritize these life-saving barriers.
I lost my own beloved mom to depression/suicide in February of 2007, and there has not been a single day since that my family has not missed her terribly. I would not wish the type of pain that we as “survivors of suicide loss” experience on anyone.
DOT is taking public comments on its draft 2021 Capital Investment Plan (CIP) until June 1, 2020 via email at MassCIP@state.ma.us. From its website, “The CIP is usually a five-year plan that is updated annually. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s CIP is a one-year plan for 2021. The 2021 CIP will focus on maintaining the safety and reliability of our transportation network and investments that are currently underway or are planned to start in 2021.”
In addition to the consistently rising rate of suicide in our community, I am also concerned about the stress, loss, and uncertainties around COVID-19, making suicide prevention efforts more important than ever. We need swift action on this public health issue before more lives are lost and more families suffer.
On a daily basis, I channel my pain into suicide prevention education, advocacy, fundraising for research, and support services for those affected in my role as co-chair of the board for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Massachusetts Chapter. I am also involved with the Pioneer Valley Coalition for Suicide Prevention.
As a facilitator of support groups in Western Massachusetts for those who have lost someone to suicide, I have met and heard first-hand the heart-wrenching stories of those whose loved ones died via the French King Bridge. Suicide has a ripple effect where those who lose someone to suicide, and those who are exposed including first responders, become at higher risk for suicide than those who have not suffered a loss nor been exposed.
Research has shown that installing barriers on bridges deters suicides and in many cases, bridge barriers actually lowered the suicide rate for the entire region. In most cases, when a suicidal person doesn’t have current access to the means that has been on their mind, they don’t substitute with another method. Therefore, a clear way to prevent suicide is to limit access to lethal means through the use of bridge barriers.
Jen Matoney is a resident of Amherst.