Builders Association has announced a Suicide Prevention Summit for February 1. The event, a collaboration between the association and Chicago Financial Management Association (CFMA) Chicago Chapter, is part of CFMA’s Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
The program’s goal is “providing and disseminating information and resources for suicide prevention and mental health promotion in construction, one of the highest rated industries affected by suicide.”
A media release says the alliance “looks to help those in the construction industry create awareness of the problem, cultivate a culture of caring, and start the conversation in the workplace.”
The half-day summit is targeting CEOs, CFOs, human resources professionals and safety risk managers who will hear from construction and mental health professionals who will discuss what others in the industry are doing, and provide attendees with resources to incorporate mental health and suicide prevention as “part of their companies’ overall health initiatives.”
The release quotes Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, CEO and co-founder of the Carson J Spencer Foundation, clinical psychologist, mental health advocate, faculty member, and survivor of her brother’s suicide as saying: “In this male-dominated industry, the stoic, macho ‘tough guy’ culture creates barriers to seeking help and acknowledging emotional problems.”
The event is free to participants, in part through the support of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.
