Building a Culture of Community Health in Coweta County
Coweta Strong is an initiative of Armed Forces Mission to build a culture of community health for the citizens of Coweta County, Georgia.
Vision Statement Through AFM's No More Suicide Campaign and the I Will Intervene Challenge AFM will train thousands of community volunteers in the skills of crisis intervention in order to turn the tide on the epidemic of suicide within the community of Coweta County, Georgia. Urgency In 4 of the last 10 years (2006 - 2015) Coweta County experienced a suicide rate that is higher than the national average; in 2010 the rate was 50% higher. More than 160 lives have been lost to suicide since 2006 impacting thousands of individuals throughout our community. Suicide is no discriminator of persons. It takes young and old, rich and poor from every segment of society. |
AFM is uniquely positioned to address the
issues of suicide in several important ways. AFM is a Veteran Led Organization with a strong outreach in the civilian community. More than 10,400 veterans call Coweta home. AFM seeks to build a culture of health within the veteran community while training the entire community in keeping with our creed as soldiers to “Serve the People of the United States of America”. Nearly 75% of the more than 6,000 individuals who have participated in the I Will Intervene Challenge one and two-day workshops are civilians. Additionally, a large portion of the more than 500 successful suicide interventions AFM has conducted have been from the civilian community. |
AFM's No More Suicide Campaign addresses the total cycle of suicide in three ways:
Prevention: AFM’s One Oops Away, is a 60 to 90 minute presentations that helps communities begin the difficult discussion. Participants gain a raised sense of awareness and understandiing of the prevalence of suicide. Churches, schools, and law enforcement agencies are now participating in One Oops Away Presentations.
Intervention: Since inception AFM has trained more than 6,000 community caregivers through the I Will intervene Challenge one and two-day workshops in order to learn the skills that are saving the lives of those in crisis.
Postvention: In 2013 AFM formed the first LOSS Team for the state of Georgia after attending the national LOSS Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors provides immediate support in times of Loss through AFM’s Rapid Response Crisis intervention Team. AFM is a member of the Georgia Chief’s Association and trains law enforcement throughout Georgia in the benefits gained by LOSS Team activation.
Intervention: Since inception AFM has trained more than 6,000 community caregivers through the I Will intervene Challenge one and two-day workshops in order to learn the skills that are saving the lives of those in crisis.
Postvention: In 2013 AFM formed the first LOSS Team for the state of Georgia after attending the national LOSS Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors provides immediate support in times of Loss through AFM’s Rapid Response Crisis intervention Team. AFM is a member of the Georgia Chief’s Association and trains law enforcement throughout Georgia in the benefits gained by LOSS Team activation.