PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. — Nearly 100 people have died by suicide in Ozaukee and Washington counties over the past three years, prompting local health officials to launch a new task force aimed at preventing future tragedies.
The initiative comes during National Suicide Prevention Week, as families like Connie Reilly's continue to grapple with devastating losses. Reilly lost her grandson Evan to suicide two years ago to the day.
"What we can do as a population to help these young people, older people, when they are at a point where they feel their life is worthless," said Reilly.
Kim Buechler, director of the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department, said the alarming statistics have prompted action.
"I think they have a drastic effect on everyone in our community," said Buechler. "I've personally been touched by deaths from both."
The new bi-county task force — termed a fatality review team — will begin meeting at the beginning of next year, bringing together community partners to examine what gaps exist in current prevention efforts.
Watch: Cedarburg grandmother lauds new initiative to combat rising suicide rates
"We want to have the right partners at the table so we can dig into those details. What are we missing? Because any cases is too many cases," said Buechler.
For Reilly, the pain remains fresh as she visits a small memory garden outside her building. She's cultivated a small plant for Evan outside her apartment building in Cedarburg. She says Evan loved hockey and fishing in his time on Earth.
"He said it'll be a four-second hug every time I see you. And that was between Evan and I," said Reilly, reflecting on their special bond.
The grandmother hopes to assist the new prevention efforts in Evan's honor. She recently started meeting with Ozaukee Family Services, who offer support to families like hers.
Free and confidential help is available to anyone suffering a mental health crisis. You can call or text 988 to be connected to a crisis counselor.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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