COVID pandemic intensified teen anxiety. New help for those grieving Tri-Cities suicides

The past year has been a tough one for Cork’s Place Grief Support Center in the Tri-Cities.

In October and November alone it was called on to provide support after four student suicides at Hanford and Richland high schools, said Brandy Hickey manager of Cork’s Place in Kennewick.

There also were attempted suicides, she said.

The past year “has put a big spotlight on what issues the kids and teens are having and families and individuals, altogether,” as isolation due to COVID-19 causing additional depression and anxiety, she said.

Cork’s Place, which provides support for children, teens and families grieving deaths by any cause, has a waiting list of about 50 children and teens seeking a spot in its free grief support groups, she said.

Now RDO Equipment, the Tri-Cities area John Deere dealership, is providing some help to both Cork’s Place and also the Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition of the Benton Franklin Health District.

It has donated $30,000 through its parent company’s Offutt Family Foundation for grief services, recognizing the need for creative and innovative attention to address youth suicide.

Kimberly Starr of Prosser said that when her son Tom Mears died by suicide at the age of 16 in 2015 she was helped by the gift of a resource care package for those trying to cope.

“It helped me navigate the whole grief process,” Starr said. “It gave me resources in terms of books to read, poetry, local resources, national resources.”

It also included comfort items, like a red coffee mug that still gives her a feeling of warmth, she said.

‘Postvention’ resources, comfort

The kit came from a Western Washington organization, and Starr is now working as a member of the local Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition on a program to distribute Survivor of Suicide Loss Care Kits in Benton and Franklin counties.

The RDO Equipment donation includes $10,000 to buy and prepare items for kits that will be available for adults who have lost a child to suicide and for children and teens who have lost siblings or friends.

“They go to someone and they can open it in that moment or they can open it a year from now, whenever they feel the need, because living after the death by suicide is incredibly traumatic, and it’s in their timing when they are ready to deal with it,” Hickey said.

The first thing adults will see when they open a kit is a message of support, such as “Welcome to your first step.”

The boxes also will include books and pamphlets to guide them to support groups and other resources, and comfort items such as a mug, tea, candle and stress relief balls.

The intent is to help them cope with anxiety and provide resources to deal with it, Hickey said.

Kits for younger children and teens will include journals with activities geared to specific age groups that can help them understand and articulate what the death meant to them.

“So instead of getting angry and punching a wall, they’re able to say, ‘I’m angry’,” Hickey said.

Starr is passionate about what she calls “postvention,” because those who have lost a loved one to suicide may be at increased risk of suicide.

The donation for the kits also will be used for training for teachers and others who come in contact with young people.

Starr said that as a teacher she saw signs that some students might be thinking of suicide and referred them to help. But she did not recognize the signs in her own son.

“So just don’t think you’re immune,” she said.

Teen, child grief groups

The rest of the local donation from RDO Equipment, $20,000, will help expand the cramped quarters of Cork’s Place, a program of Chaplaincy Health Care in the Tri-Cities.

It will be used to provide additional training to reduce the current waiting list of young people who need support in their grief.

Cork’s Place is currently seeking volunteers to facilitate grief groups with trained specialists for children ages 3 to 17. They should be passionate about helping children, nonjudgmental and tolerant of long silences or loud noise.

A training program starts June. 2. For more information, call Wanda Kontur at 509-783-6243.

The donated money also is planned to be used toward buying portables to install on the Cork’s Place property on West 19th Avenue or otherwise expanding the facility to allow more support groups.

Help available

Those having thoughts of suicide and needing someone to talk to may contact:

▪ Lourdes Health Crisis Services at 509-783-0500.

▪ Comprehensive Healthcare crisis line 800-572-8122.

▪ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK or 800-273-8255 for English and 888-628-9454 for Spanish.

▪ Crisis Text Line: text “START” to 741-741

▪ Trevor Project for LGBTQ youth: 866-488-7386, or text “START” to 678-678

The Facebook page of Prosser-based Mustangs Matters, a collaboration of students and mental health and other professionals, also provides information and resources for mental health conditions.

This story was originally published May 23, 2021 at 2:11 PM.