Hotline Phones?
BLOG WRITTEN BY JOE BOCK:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070215/NEWS/702150346
After two suicides last December, the Hudson River town of New Paltz has recently discussed plans to construct a $166,000 project installing suicide prevention hotline phones on the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Following the lead of the Mid-Hudson Bridge, which already has hotline phones, this plan will also install phones on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, Bear Mountain Bridge, and Rip Van Winkle Bridge. Retired director of the State of New York Office of Mental Health Gary Spielmann stated, "The phones will certainly help and are part of a larger plan of awareness, education, informed intervention and new technology that should have a greater impact on suicide prevention than any single deterrent alone."
Gary Spielmann’s belief that new technology will prevent suicide from occurring is almost as ridiculous as New Paltz’ plan to spend $166,000 trying to install phones to prevent it. With all of the brilliant ideas circulating about how to fix both the river itself and projects around it, why would New Paltz even toil with this idea? Having phones on a bridge for potential suicide victims will do absolutely nothing to stop them. Most of these “victims” have their own phones, and could easily call for help if they wished. Sure, it is tragic when people jump off a bridge, but local and national governments should not bend over backwards for these people when they should be worrying about much more important things. What if people kept jumping off the bridge after the phones were installed? Would New Palz construct a gate around the bridge? If a “victim” still wanted to kill himself, he could just do it in a different way.
This is just one of thousands of examples of a local government wasting tax money unnecessarily, when they it be using the money for something far more significant. New Paltz, a small, middle class town outside of Poughkeepsie, and home to a branch of the State University of New York, can not afford to waste its’ money in this way. If its citizens were more involved with local politics, its government would be able to create projects which would actually benefit the town. Until then, more absurd proposals such as this will be developed.
BLOG WRITTEN BY JOE BOCK
posted by Stephen_Shen @ 10:40 PM
7 Comments:
Mr Bock, New Paltz is a very pretty town, but perhaps not the place for libertarians. It's mayor represents the Green Party.
Why do you think that hotlines won't reduce suicides?
Suicide prevention hotlines help to save lives.
What is more important than a human life?
Please explore these websites to learn more:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
http://www.samaritansofboston.org/
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=54&ContentID=23041
You expressed the idea that people are not involved enough in politics. In one of my classes half the student didn't know who the vice president of the United States is today. Why do you think American's are politically apathetic? Do you think the government listens to the people and what they want?
I think in this case the local government is trying to listen to what people want but they are not receiving any feed back. Also, from experience with my own local government, I have seen a majority of the people who speak out in the government are reacting in fear of change. In most, but not all, cases change is just what the town needs to keep up with the ever changing world around them. If this town thinks that phones on bridges will prevent suicides and they can justify spending the money then I say that it is a valid option. I am also assuming that these public officials have done their best to look into viable options to help stop the suicides in their community. Again from experience, I know that towns are not willing to spend money on “frivolous” things. If they believe that these phones will work in reaching out to people who clearly need to be reached out to then I think they should try the phones.
This comment has been removed by the author.
There are many things in this blog that seem to be ignorant. The one that sticks out to me the strongest is your disregard toward the statement made by Gary Spielmann, a retired director of the State of New York Office of Mental Health. Mr. Spielmann has spent a large part of his life working with mental illness and specifically suicide. Below is a short list of his accomplishments. (Also listed is the website I got this from.) Mr. Speilmann has a very distinguished career in suicide prevention therefore his opinion on matters involving suicide prevention is well educated and deserves respect. If you do not agree with his opinion it is understandable for you to challenge it as long as your challenge is well thought out, well supported, and respectful. Unfortunately your comment, “Having phones on a bridge for potential suicide victims will do absolutely nothing to stop them. Most of these “victims” have their own phones, and could easily call for help if they wished.” blindly denounces Mr. Speilmann’s opinion and is not well thought out, supported, or respectful. The audience who reads this blog does not gain from reading your outrageous unsupported opinion on this matter. What makes your claim legitimate? Why should I or anyone reading your blog believe you rather than Mr. Spielmann? Can you support your claim that phones do not help suicide prevention? Certainly the fact that most people have cell phones is not sufficient. Please impress me by sharing a better argument for your opinion.
Gary L. Spielmann, MA, MS
Gary Spielmann is the Director of Suicide Prevention and Director of Project Management at the New York State Department of Mental Health. From 1997-2000, Mr. Spielmann served as the Director for Planning. He was chair of the organizing committee for the 2005 New York State Summit on Suicide Prevention. Mr. Spielmann was the principal author of, New York State Suicide Prevention Strategy & Plan and Editor in Chief of, Saving Lives in New York: Suicide Prevention and Public Health for the NYS Office of Mental Health & NYS Suicide Prevention Council.
http://www.wmht.org/tv/productions/healthlink/depression_suicide_prevention.php?PHPSESSID=37630e2a573dbcf8b591e
Joe are you saying that saving one life is not worth $166,000. According to http://www.city-data.com/city/New-Paltz-New-York.html the town of new Patlz has a population of 12,830 people (2000) With simple division that comes out to be $12.94 per person. I find it hard to believe that a life isnt worth under $13. That is equal to about 1/5 of a pair of jeans from Abercrombie and Fitch... By one less pair of jeans and save a life.
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