Lamont McClure and the Northampton County Suicide Prevention Task Force announce that Northampton County is in the process of forming its first LOSS Team. LOSS stands for Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors. As of now, there are no LOSS Teams in Pennsylvania; Northampton County’s may be the first.

A LOSS Team is made up of trained survivors and/or those who have been impacted by a suicide. The team would be called to assist individuals who have just lost someone to suicide to disseminate information about resources and be a source of hope for the newly bereaved. The primary goal is to provide survivors of suicide with resources and to let them know that resources exist to help them following the suicide.

After a suicide death occurs, the coroner’s office or law enforcement will notify the LOSS Team immediately and the team will gather to offer support to the family. If the family is not ready to meet with the team, the team will leave their contact information and follow-up a day or two later.

The Northampton County Suicide Prevention Task Force is proud to have Dr. Frank Campbell train our LOSS Team members on June 29^th & 30^th which should enable the teams to begin providing support to our community later this summer. Frank R. Campbell, Ph.D. is a Senior Consultant for Campbell and Associates Consulting where he confers with communities on Forensic Suicidology.