CAZENOVIA — The Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CAVAC) will recognize Mental Health Awareness Month by partnering with the Cazenovia Central School District, Cazenovia Fire Department, and Community Resources for Independent Seniors to bring a free, 90-minute QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training to the Cazenovia Public Library.
The event will be held on Tuesday, May 6, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Betsy Kennedy Community Room.
According to the Surgeon General’s National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (2001), a gatekeeper is someone in a position to recognize a crisis and the warning signs that someone may be contemplating suicide.
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, Refer, “three simple steps that anyone can learn to help save a life.” The training was developed by the QPR Institute, an educational organization with a mission to save lives and reduce suicidal behaviors by providing innovative, practical, and proven suicide prevention training.
“Just as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the Heimlich maneuver equip individuals to save lives in medical emergencies, QPR teaches participants how to recognize warning signs of suicide and take action to help someone in crisis,” said Kristine Knutson, who will lead the May 6 training.
Knutson is the manager of community programs at Contact Community Services, a Syracuse-area nonprofit dedicated to mental health education, suicide prevention, and crisis support. Its mission is to provide a lifeline for individuals in crisis and foster well-being across the communities it serves.
According to Knutson, suicide gatekeeper training is essential for empowering individuals to recognize and respond to signs of distress in those around them.
Such programs equip participants with the skills to identify warning signs of a suicide crisis, intervene effectively, offer hope to someone in distress, and connect individuals to the right resources before a crisis escalates.
“Suicide prevention is not just the responsibility of mental health professionals — anyone can be a lifesaver with the right training,” said Knutson. “By increasing access to gatekeeper education, we strengthen our communities and ensure that people in crisis are met with compassion, understanding, and action.”
According to the February 2025 Madison County Public Health Data Brief on Suicide, suicide is nearly twice as common in rural areas compared to urban ones.
Madison County, a predominantly rural area, has the fifth highest suicide rate among New York State’s 62 counties, based on data from 2019-2021. NYS has the second lowest suicide rate among the 50 states.
The brief also reports that one in five students in Madison County has seriously considered suicide.
“[I] recently lost a friend to suicide, and I have always been interested in helping people stay healthy and engaged to make their lives meaningful and worthwhile,” said CAVAC Crew Coordinator Colleen Majka, who worked with the CAVAC board to bring the training to Cazenovia. “. . . [Suicide] is a real issue, especially in today’s stressful environment and economy. It can affect both young and old and anyone in between. The goal is to gain knowledge and empathize enough to start a conversation, reach out, and hopefully save one human at a time. Each person has the potential to make a difference. We should visualize jumping into someone else’s shoes to see the view and hopefully see a way to steer that individual to someone who can help.”
CAVAC was established in 1974 and is currently based at 106 Nelson St. in Cazenovia. The local ambulance service relies on a team of volunteers — drivers, crew coordinators, emergency medical technicians, and general members — and paid professional paramedics. A high school student corps also supports its operations. In addition to providing emergency medical services to Cazenovia and surrounding communities, CAVAC offers short-term medical equipment loans and has a NYS-certified child/baby car seat installer. Volunteers also offer hands-only CPR and CPR-Basic Life Support training. For more information, visit cavacambulance.org.
To learn more about QPR, visit qprinstitute.com. Questions about the upcoming gatekeeper training can be directed to Knutson at kknutson@contactsyracuse.org.
To read the full Madison County Public Health Data Brief on Suicide and view a list of local resources and initiatives, visit madisoncounty.ny.gov/2481/Suicide.
