Democratic Governor of West Virginia Earl Ray Tomblin traveled to West Virginia University Tuesday to support the University in "holding every life precious."

Tomblin, along with WVU President James P. Clements, representatives from the Student Government Association, WELLWVU: The Students’ Center of Health, the Carruth Center and the WVU Psychology Club gathered to honor National Suicide Prevention Month.

Tomblin said he is a strong advocate for suicide prevention in the state.

"Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for West Virginians between 15 and 25 years old," he said. "That’s simply heartbreaking."

Tomblin has recently devoted his time to talking with high school students throughout the state about the issues of suicide awareness and prevention.

WVU SGA President Zach Redding said the topic of suicide prevention has become an
integral part of the SGA agenda.

Redding said the SGA is seeking to begin reaching out to help local high school students.

"We are really looking forward to making a big, positive step in that direction," Redding said.

Various campus organizations will be brainstorming new ways to reach out those at-risk students who may need help during September.

WVU psychiatrist Brian Quigley said he believes "awareness" is the fundamental word in the efforts throughout the month.

"We are trying in whatever way we can to allow students to come see us," he said.

The WVU program Holding Every Life Precious, or HELP, aims to alleviate the stigma of asking for psychological help. HELP strives to encourage students to seek counseling as a positive solution to whatever may be causing them distress.

"We need people to know it’s OK to ask for help, and it’s OK to ask people if they need help," Clements said.

WELLWVU offers a program called leadWELL during the academic year. LeadWELL aims to teach students to promote healthy behaviors through effective conversations with their peers.

Catherine Yura, Assistant Vice President of WELLWVU, said she believes leadWELL is especially important because in some instances students feel more
comfortable talking to someone in their peer group rather than a counselor.

Yura said a person may also be more inclined to seek professional help when a friend suggests it rather than someone they do not know.

Suicide prevention is one of the main platforms on which WELLWVU was created, Yura said.

"Our goal is to make accessible all services to help prevent suicide," she said.

The Carruth Center is located on the third floor of the Student Services Center and offers free counseling and
psychological services to all WVU students and faculty.

For more information call (304) 293-4431.