A new volunteer-led support initiative aimed at helping individuals and families affected by suicide is set to begin operations in Chautauqua County in January 2026.
The Sudden Loss Care Team (SLCT), developed by the Suicide Prevention Alliance of Chautauqua County, will offer peer support to those who have experienced the loss of a loved one through suicide.
“The moments and days following a suicide can be overwhelming, traumatic, and deeply isolating,” said Carri Raynor, Director of the Suicide Prevention Alliance of Chautauqua County in a press release. “The Sudden Loss Care Team will ensure that survivors have access to compassionate, peer-informed support when they need it most.”
The service will not provide crisis intervention or clinical therapy, but will instead offer phone or in-person peer support, with consent from the bereaved. Volunteers are trained in trauma-informed approaches and suicide-specific grief support.
According to organizers, volunteers include individuals with personal or professional experience related to suicide loss, including peer loss survivors, licensed clinicians, and both active and retired first responders.
Chautauqua County has reported higher suicide rates than the state average in recent years. According to the New York State Department of Health, between 2020-2022 the age-adjusted suicide mortality per 100,000 population in Chautauqua County was 12.9, while the state average is 9.7.
The new program is funded by the Suicide Prevention Center of New York and supported by the Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene, the Coroner’s Office, and the Sheriff’s Office.
The team is currently recruiting volunteers. Training sessions will take place in August, September, November, and December 2025.
