Volunteer Team to Respond in the Aftermath of Suicide Fatalities

The Riverside County Suicide Prevention Coalition is partnering with the Trauma Intervention Program of Southwest Riverside County (TIP) to build a team of volunteers who have experienced suicide loss to deploy in the aftermath of suicide fatalities.

TIP is a non-profit organization that uses specially trained citizen volunteers to support victims and their families in the first few hours following a tragedy. TIP volunteers have been responding to traumatic incidents in Riverside County since 1993 – however, the organization is now building a team of suicide loss survivors.

The Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors Team (LOSS Team) will be specially trained to intervene in the hours after a suicide fatality. Volunteer members will be able to provide on-the-spot emotional support and resources to grieving family members and friends throughout the County.

Diana A. (Brown) Gutierrez, co-lead of the Riverside County Suicide Prevention Coalition, noted this partnership is another step forward for Riverside County, which formally adopted a strategic plan to reduce suicide fatalities last fall.

“TIP has been a tremendous service to people in need for many years. The LOSS Team will allow people who have experienced a suicide loss in their own life to provide critical emotional support and care to those who have just experienced a suicide loss,” said Gutierrez.

Magda Stewart, CEO of TIP of Southwest Riverside County, says the organization is always looking for new volunteers ready to respond to traumatic events in their community.

“If you have experienced a suicide loss, we would love you to be part of our new LOSS Team. If you have not experienced a suicide loss, we wholeheartedly welcome you, too,” Stewart said.

Volunteers who have experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide and are ready to help others through suicide loss are encouraged to visit www.tipswrc.org to find additional information and register as a TIP volunteer.

The Riverside County Suicide Prevention Coalition was formed in response to the suicide prevention strategic plan, “Building Hope and Resiliency: A Collaborative Approach to Suicide Prevention in Riverside County,” which was adopted by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 1, 2020. The Coalition is a coordinated, long-term, collaborative approach to reducing suicide fatalities and building resilient communities in Riverside County.

Trauma Intervention Programs Inc. (TIP) is a national non-profit organization founded in 1985. The volunteers are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond in the aftermath of violent crime, fires, motor vehicle accidents, suicide fatalities and other traumatic events. TIP of Southwest Riverside County covers the cities of Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta, Temecula, Canyon Lake, Menifee, Perris, Hemet, San Jacinto, and Moreno Valley along with surrounding unincorporated areas.