“Reach on Repeat” session attendees sit as they become REACH certified on Tuesday. Credit: Courtesy of Laura Lewis
On Tuesday, over 150 Ohio State students and community members dedicated 90 minutes of their day at the Recreational and Physical Activity Center (RPAC) — not for exercise, but to save lives.
Students and the community gathered together to participate in REACH on Repeat, a training marathon hosted by the university’s Suicide Prevention Program.
The 12-hour event invited the campus community to take part in Ohio State’s REACH program, which trains participants to identify and support those at risk of suicide.
REACH — which stands for recognize warning signs, engage with empathy, ask directly about suicide, communicate hope and help suicidal individuals access care and treatment — is the university’s peer-based suicide prevention initiative, according to the program’s website.
“This is the first time we’ve dedicated a full day to invite our campus to engage in this with us. It’s pretty exciting,” said Laura Lewis, assistant director of the Suicide Prevention Program. “On a day like today, we know every single person sitting in those chairs created time and space to learn those skills.”
Education Program Coordinator for the Suicide Prevention Program, Laura Onianwa, helped lead the day’s efforts alongside staff and volunteer trainers from across campus, with people arriving every two hours.
Lewis said that with so many new groups, the program was filled with an energy unlike that of a typical training.
“There’s this cool, collective feel to what we’re doing today that’s just a little different from what we do on a weekly basis,” Lewis said.
Onianwa said the day left her both inspired and impacted.
“I feel like I ran a marathon,” Onianwa said. “Seeing how excited and thankful everyone was that this training is being done at Ohio State felt powerful.”
Lewis said that hosting REACH on Repeat during October — National Mental Health Awareness Month — added a layer of meaning.
“I think it’s another opportunity for us to remind our campus that everyone matters, and that mental health matters,” Lewis said.
More than a campus-wide initiative, Onianwa said REACH on Repeat reinforced the importance of connection and empathy in preventing suicide.
“Suicide is complex, but this was the least I could do on this campus,” Onianwa said. “Seeing how great our trainers are is incredible — [it] helped in being reminded why I do what I do.”
