GLIIHC Hosting Native College Student Suicide Forum

“There is a high rate of suicide among our college-age Native youth, and communities must work together to help them persevere in life,” said Lyle Ignace, M.D., the Executive Director of the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center (GLIIHC).

To get the discussion started, Dr. Ignace will host a Suicide Listening Forum at 8:30 am on Thursday, September 12th at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee.

“Our Native student suicide rates are disproportionately high compared to their college peers,” said Dr. Ignace, who is from the Coeur d’Alene and the Menominee Tribes. “It’s a difficult discussion to have, but we must tackle Native student suicide together. We need to work with national and local subject matter experts, Tribal leaders, Native organizations, secondary education institution’s suicide prevention and education personnel, along with community members to help our youth.”

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Roger Walker (Cherokee). Dr. Walker is an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University. He is the Director of the One Sky Center, a National Resource Center for American Indian Health and Education in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Read more here.