Former Packer to speak at suicide prevention summit

GREEN BAY – UW- Green Bay is hosting the Northeast Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Summit on Thursday, May 8, 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., at the Brown County Central Library, featuring keynote speaker, Earl Dotson.

The summit is open to the community, and social workers, therapists, mental health professionals and everyone touched by suicide are encouraged to register.

“Unity in Diversity” is the theme of this year’s summit

Dotson, a former Packer and Super Bowl Champion whose son died by suicide, will address attendees about “A Broken Man: Learning to Feel After Loss.”
“Dotson had always felt he was broken because mental health wasn’t talked about. His Green Bay Packers teammates helped save his life. By not being able to fix himself, Dotson wasn’t able to help his son, who died by suicide, and now it is his calling to give people the tools to safely feel and cope and know that they are not alone,” an event release stated,

“Wisconsin is facing a significant challenge with suicide rates, which have been rising over the past two decades. Suicide is now one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the state according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

“Some populations are more vulnerable to suicide, and this year’s summit will encourage conversation and strategies that focus on an inclusive suicide prevention response. Attendees can choose from the the following breakout sessions: VA S.A.V.E Training; Compassion Resilience in Practice; Multicultural Approaches to Trauma-Informed Care; Dudes + T.A.C.O.S.; Suicide Prevention and Postvention Efforts in Response to a Major Event; Intersectionality in Mental Healthcare/Countering Influential Implicit Bias; Teen Mental Health: Trends, Challenges & Surprising Realities; and Suicide in the Tribal Community.

The closing session “It’s OK to Not be OK” will be delivered by Jeffrey Ditzenberger, a suicide survivor, certified mental health life coach and peer specialist in mental health and addiction recovery.

A former corn and soybean farmer, he founded TUGS to promote mental wellness in rural communities.

The event is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, in partnership with Brown County Coalition for Suicide Prevention and community collaborators Center for Suicide Awareness, Family Services, Brown County Health and Human Services and Unity Hospice.

For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu/suicide-prevention-summit or contact Melissa Betke, betkem@uwgb.edu or (920) 663-7337.