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Bethel police, tribal court and clinic hosted a two-day suicide prevention training
The Bethel Police Department, the Orutsararmiut Native Council's Tribal Court Services and Bethel Family Clinic hosted a two-day suicide prevention training for local organizations Nov. 2 and 3, the City of Bethel said.
Representatives of the Bethel Youth Facility, Tundra Women's Coalition, ONC, the Lower Kuskokwim School District and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation took part, along with the clinic. The sessions, at ONC's Multi-Purpose Building, focused on planning and on building partnerships among the organizations, the city said.
NAMI New Hampshire, the state affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, provided the training with the Alaska Department of Health, and Elaine de Mello of NAMI New Hampshire led it. The group developed Connect, the suicide prevention model taught in Bethel, which the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council's 2024 annual report describes as being on a best-practice registry.
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About Bethel
Bethel (Mamterilleq) is a city in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, in the Bethel Census Area, on the Kuskokwim River. It is the regional hub for the Yup'ik villages around it and the gateway to a large roadless region, with no highway in or out.
Bethel's economy and institutions are built around its role as a service center, with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the regional court, police, and air and barge links to surrounding villages. Its stories return to city services such as water, sewer and the landfill, sales tax collection, police staffing, and electric rates set by AVEC.
The Kuskokwim River shapes daily life, from subsistence salmon fishing that closes when runs fall short to the winter freeze-up. Villages such as Kasigluk, Akiak and Akiachak look to Bethel for courts, health care and supplies.
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