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Robideaux declares Infant Mortality Awareness Month and Suicide Prevention Week for September

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Posted at 1:08 PM, Sep 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-07 14:08:50-04

Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux issued two separate proclamations at Tuesday's City-Parish Council meeting declaring September Infant Mortality Awareness Month. He also declared the second week in September Suicide Prevention Week.

Robideaux declared Infant Mortality Month as a way to raise public awareness about reducing infant mortality. He "encouraged citizens to take steps in providing a healthy start to life for all newborn children."

Robideaux also declared the week of September 9 - September 13 National Suicide Prevention Week. He stated that the campaign is to reduce the stigma surrounding suicide and to inform the public about suicide prevention and warning signs.

Marie Collins, Executive Director of The Family Tree Information, Education, and Counseling Center, accepted the proclamations and thanked the Mayor-President for his support of the initiatives.

The Family Tree aims to reduce the number of infant deaths and suicides in Lafayette and surrounding parishes.

The Family Tree states that the most recent data from the Louisiana Office of Public Health showed 55 infant deaths in Region 4 and 720 suicides in Louisiana.

The Healthy Start Program and Jacob Crouch Suicide Prevention Services are branches of The Family Tree that focus on infant mortality and suicide prevention, respectively.

For more information on these programs and The Family Tree, click here.For more information on these programs and The Family Tree, click here.

Collins invited the public to the organization's Annual Infant Mortality Awareness and Rememberance Service taking place on Thursday, September 26 at 6 p.m. at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. The gardens are located at 2300 N. University Avenue in Lafayette.