Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Forum

The City, in partnership with Clackamas County, is offering a Mental Health Awareness & Suicide Prevention Forum on May 22. The Forum will take place at Lake Oswego City Hall from 5:30-7:30 p.m. No registration necessary.

At this free forum, presenters Clackamas County Health Officer Dr. Sarah Present and Suicide Prevention Coordinator Galli Murray will discuss the importance of mental health awareness, who is at risk for suicide, trends we are seeing nationally and regionally, and how we can support someone who is struggling. 

We will also be:

• Providing hands-on intranasal Narcan training – learn how to recognize the signs of a narcotic overdose and how to quickly and safely administer intranasal Narcan. 
• Holding a drug take-back collection event – bring in unwanted or expired prescriptions, unknown, veterinary, or over-the-counter medications for safe disposal. See details below.
• Offering safe sharps disposal, including EpiPens and syringes. See details below.
• Giving away handgun lock boxes and medication lock boxes along with cable locks (while supplies last).

In addition, the Forum will feature a multitude of organizations that provide programs and mental health resources. Visit informational booths and learn about the services they offer: 

• Lake Oswego Police Department services including Behavioral Health Services, Adult Resource Officer, School Resources Officer and 911 Dispatch (LOCOM).
• Lake Oswego Fire Department will share resources on recognizing a narcotic overdose and safely administering Narcan. Learn practical tips for safely storing medications. While supplies last, LOFD will also be offering Deterra drug deactivation pouches for the safe disposal of potentially harmful medications.
• Lake Oswego Adult Community Center - a wide range of human services and referrals tailored to meet the needs of community members. Their dedicated Client Services Coordinator can assist individuals with personalized care and support to ensure they receive the help they need. Services include: home visits and consultations to understand and address specific needs; support for caregivers and specialized programs for those with dementia; nutrition programs; support groups; classes, and more.
• Clackamas Mental Health Center (Clackamas MHC) is a walk-in clinic in Happy Valley that provides urgent mental health services to residents of Clackamas County. Clackamas MHC serves individuals of all ages, individuals with any (or no) insurance, and offers mental health information, navigation, referral, and brief bridging services like therapy, coping skills training, case management, and peer support. 
• The Clackamas Crisis and Support Line and the Clackamas County Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) assist individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The Crisis and Support Line (503-655-8585) is available 24/7 to offer confidential support, crisis intervention, and referral to services. Trained mental health professionals answer calls, helping individuals manage emotional distress and connect with appropriate resources. MCRT, a team of crisis responders made up of case managers, mental health specialists, and peer support providers, offers in-person crisis outreach throughout Clackamas County. They respond to urgent situations in the community, offering de-escalation, safety assessment, and linkage to services. 
• Lines for Life/Youth Line - YouthLine is a peer-to-peer help, support, and crisis line serving youth ages 10-24 across the United States since 2000. YouthLine is staffed by youth volunteers and young adult interns who undergo extensive training and are supervised by highly skilled clinicians. In addition to our help, support, and crisis line, YouthLine is a youth development program offering mentorship, skill- building, and workforce development for our volunteers and interns. They also promote positive youth mental health virtually and in person through social media, awareness-raising, and lessons in middle and high schools to destigmatize mental health and encourage youth to reach out for help when they need it.
• NAMI Clackamas - NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Clackamas is the grassroots non-profit organization providing free mental health education, support, and advocacy delivered by people with lived experience to improve quality of life for everyone in our community. They offer free education classes, support groups, and one on one peer support for individuals living with mental health conditions and their family members. 
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a Nationwide grassroots nonprofit that’s sole mission is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. They do this through research, education, survivor support and advocacy.  Learn about upcoming events, ways to get involved in the work that AFSP does and how to support the organization and those who have been impacted as well as ways to bring their many different FREE programs to your workplaces/classrooms/community groups.
• HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response gives comfort in times of crisis by bringing compassionate emotional support with their specially-trained canine and handler teams. Teams provide support to first responders and individuals affected by disasters both natural and man-made. 
• 4D Recovery provides the support and guidance needed to navigate addiction recovery. They help young adults find and maintain a recovery identity through peer mentorship, supportive housing, drop-in recovery centers, recovery events, and a leadership development program.
• Be SMART for Kids is a national public awareness campaign launched in 2015 by Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. The Be SMART campaign was launched to raise awareness that secure gun storage - storing guns unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition - can save children’s lives. Be SMART emphasizes that it’s an adult responsibility to keep kids from accessing guns, and that every adult can play a role in keeping kids and communities safer. 
• Gun Owners for Responsible Ownership are gun owners, outdoor enthusiasts, and veterans who seek reasonable and responsible solutions to preventing gun violence. This nonprofit envisions an America where all are safe from gun violence, and where responsible gun owners take the lead to promote safe gun ownership and sensible laws and regulations. 
• Lake Oswego School District (LOSD) CARES is a workshop series for parents and guardians to support, inform, and empower families on issues surrounding mental health. Workshop topics have included: suicide prevention, substance abuse, disordered eating, screen time, resiliency, and more.

Join us to learn more about this important topic. We talk openly about our physical health issues, yet not so much about our mental health. Let’s start talking about it!

For more information, contact Bonnie Hirshberger at 503-675-3992 or bhirshberger@lakeoswego.city.

Special Drug Take Back Event - 1st Floor (lobby at south/lower entrance)

To help community members properly dispose of unwanted or expired medications, the City is holding a special drug take-back event on Thursday, May 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This collection event will take place in the first floor lobby (south entrance of City Hall, lower parking lot entrance). 

In addition to prescription and over-the-counter medications, the following will be accepted:

• Vape pens and E-cigarettes WITHOUT batteries will be accepted. Batteries must be removed ahead of time or they will not be accepted. 
• Unknown medicines and veterinary medications. 

The following items will not be accepted:

• Medications from businesses such as nursing homes, doctor’s offices or any other institution or business - this collection event is for individual households only. 
• Intra-venous solutions, injectables, inhalers, chemotherapy medications, vaping devices that have batteries that cannot be removed, or medical waste. For information on how you can safely dispose of these items, call Metro Recycling at 503-234-3000. [Sharps, including syringes, lancets, auto-injectors, EpiPens, needles, needle connectors and infusion sets, will be collected on the 3rd Floor. See details below.}

Please put all pill/tablet medications into a sealed plastic baggie or leave them in their original container (if in original container, cross out personal information.) If you bring in a liquid, gel or cream medication, please put the bottle or tube in a sealable plastic bag to prevent leaks.

Visit medtakebackoregon.org or call 844-482-5322 to find additional secure disposal drop-off locations and learn about mail-back options. 

Sharps/Syringe Disposal Event - 3rd Floor (lobby)

Throwing sharps  (including syringes, needles, and auto-injectors such as EpiPens) in the trash is illegal in Oregon. Sharps can harm people, pets and wildlife when discarded improperly. To help ensure safe their disposal, the City is holding a special collection event on Thursday, May 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 

Bring your sharps to the 3rd floor of City Hall. The Lake Oswego Fire Department will collect and properly dispose of them.

If you have a large number of sharps and do not have an approved sharps container, seal the sharps in a hard plastic container that cannot be punctured easily, such as an empty laundry detergent bottle. Label the container to read, “Sharps. Do not recycle.” 

For additional disposal options, please visit Metro.