By Thomas Clapper
FPS Staff Writer
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Carroll County resident Edward L. Hale was joined by Vice President of the Veterans Service Commission Tom Indorf to spread awareness in Carroll and the surrounding counties.
Hale and Indorf brought a proclamation to the Carroll County Commissioners on May 1. Hale also provided a packet of data from the Carroll County General Health District via a public records request.
In 2024, there have been eight suicides in Carroll County. The county’s suicide rate is 29.4 per 100,000 people—nearly twice the rate of the state of Ohio. The state reported a one percent decrease in suicide rates from the previous year. However, rates have increased in rural communities over the same period. Carroll County’s suicide rate rose by 60 percent last year.
There have been 25 suicide deaths among Carroll County residents between 2019 and 2024. Of those, 28 percent were military veterans.
“It all falls back on Mental Health Awareness,” said Hale. “Suicides are not something that just happens overnight. It’s something that’s been planned out for a while. Something’s been thought about, someone’s going to finally come to their breaking point that they’re going to do this. Mental health is very important with everybody despite their age.”
Hale said he believes the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected mental health because people were confined to their homes for extended periods. He said some who contracted COVID-19 struggled to cope and felt out of place.
“Check on our loved ones, check on our friends, check on our co-workers, check on our family,” said Hale. “We need to reach out to them. It only takes 13 seconds to be seen or be heard, to talk to someone, to ask them how they’re doing. Listen to what they have to say—you may be able to help them. Listening may be the only thing you need to do. They just need to vent. They need someone there to support them, and we need people to support us too.”
Indorf is the founder of SAVE22, a nonprofit organization founded in 2015 to prevent suicide among veterans, active-duty military personnel, and first responders. The name SAVE22 reflects the organization’s commitment to addressing the statistic that, on average, 22 veterans die by suicide each day.
“This year is a big year for SAVE22. It is our 10-year anniversary,” said Indorf. “We are on our ninth walk event, but it is our 10th year, and it started here in Carroll County where I was 10 minutes and a goodbye away from not being here.”
Indorf has turned his own struggles into the power to help others in need.
“I want to relay the biggest thing we can do for our veterans is just be present,” said Indorf. “Be there for that phone call. Be there at 3 a.m. for a friend. That’s what we are looking for, and awareness is the first step to change. So, as long as we keep being aware and making people aware, then they can change. It’s all about finding out what’s going on on the inside with these veterans so that we can help them change.”
Indorf said the Carroll County Veterans Service Office and SAVE22 are available to help.
“I’m still going to be here for anybody who needs to call—civilian or veteran—I don’t care,” said Indorf.
The Veterans Service Office of Carroll County can be reached at 330-627-2590 and is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The email is veterans@carrollcountyohio.us.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has been rebranded as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and the phone number is 988. It can be accessed online at https://988lifeline.org. This hotline is for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse issues, emotional distress, concerns about a loved one, and more.