September 11, 2015 --
The
Naval Branch Health Clinic Albany sailors’ kick-off of the Hot Summer Nights 5K
Run/Walk for Mental Health Awareness and Tobacco Cessation was cancelled due to
inclement weather.
The activity,
which was scheduled to be held at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany’s Covella
Pond, Sept. 10, was initially organized with a dual purpose, according to Petty
Officer 1st Class Kishan Jeffers, leading petty officer, NBHC Albany.
Jeffers
said the purpose of the event was to bring awareness to the dangers associated
with tobacco products use as well as to raise consciousness of mental health
issues, particularly suicide.
“We
titled the event ‘Mental Health Awareness (and Tobacco Cessation)’ because
there are a lot of things that go into that,” Jeffers pointed out. “Excessive
drinking, depression, etcetera; a lot of it is behavioral-health driven, so we
just gave it the umbrella of mental health.
“Usually,
those two topics have nothing to do with one another,” Jeffers added. “They
relatively have nothing in common. However, we chose to combine the two to
promote one quality event. Of course, tobacco use is dangerous, but the month
of September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. And, that is something that
affects a lot (of people) -- not only Americans, but also people around the world.
“Here
are some of the statistics,” he continued. “In 2013, in the U.S., suicide was
the second leading cause of deaths for those ages 15 through 34. It was the
fourth leading cause of deaths for those 35 through 44 and it’s the tenth
leading cause of deaths in all populations. For every suicide death, there are
at least 25 (unsuccessful) suicide attempts.”
Jeffers
attributes the statistics on suicide deaths to information he retrieved from
the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center's website: http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcphc/Documents/health-promotion-wellness/psychological-emotional-wellbeing/Suicide_Infographic.pdf.
Although
a forecast of possible evening thunderstorms forced the planners/organizers to
postpone the activity, Jeffers said he was hopeful the5K run/walk would be
rescheduled at some point in the next few weeks.
The
2014 event recorded roughly 80 participants and the NBHC corpsmen were
anticipating a combined number of runners, walkers as well as other family
members/supporters for the 2015 event, Jeffers explained.