by Emily Stewart

In January 2021, the Stockbridge Area Wellness Coalition (SAWC) started the Bridge to Wellness monthly column to promote health and well-being in our community by focusing on the main themes of the 5 Healthy Towns Foundation. Over the past two years, we encouraged members of the community to be healthier by providing information related to exercise, fitness and nutrition. In 2023, we look forward to sharing helpful resources and tips on topics related to avoiding unhealthy substances, connecting with others, and mental health.

This month, we would like to highlight a training opportunity to learn steps to help save lives. Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) teaches participants how to recognize the warming signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to help.

Who should get trained? Anyone age 14 and older (due to content), including faith communities, health care staff, school staff, first responders, parents, grandparents, caregivers and community members.

Upcoming free in-person trainings:

• Thursday, Jan. 5, 6-7 p.m. Chelsea Wellness Center Conference Room 14800 E. Old U.S. Highway 12, Chelsea, MI 48118

• Thursday, Jan. 11, 6-7 p.m. Dexter Wellness Center 2810 Baker Road, Dexter, MI 48130

Registration is encouraged. To register or if you have questions, please email Sarah.wilczynski@trinity-health.org.

If you are unable to attend in-person, there is a free, self-paced, online training available to those in the Chelsea Hospital service area who are age 14 and older.

To register for the online QPR Training, please follow the instructions below:

1. Navigate to: qprtraining.com/setup.
2. Enter the organization code “SJMC”
3. Select “Create Account”
4. Complete and submit the student registration form by entering your name and email address.

• QPR will display and email the newly created username and password for your account. You will need this information to log into your training account.
• You can now log in to training at qprtraining.com. You can click the training link from inside the page displaying your username and password.

This column is sponsored by the Stockbridge Area Wellness Coalition. Emily Stewart is the coalition vice-chair and SRSLY Stockbridge Coalition director with the Community Health Improvement Team at Chelsea Hospital. The QPR Trainings are being offered as part of Chelsea Hospital’s Mental Health Awareness and Training (MHAT) Program. For more information, please visit stjoeshealth.org/mhat or email Sarah.wilczynski@trinity-health.org.