Running head: NEWS RELEASE 1

COM 60511 - Strategic Communication and Professional Writing: Summer II 2017

Week 5: News Release

Altrus Gala 2017 to Support Community Suicide Prevention and Education Efforts

Janelle C. Gergen

Purdue University
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Altrus Gala 2017 to Support Community Suicide Prevention and Education Efforts

Grand Forks, ND (July 22, 2017) Altru Health Foundation is pleased to announce Altrus
Gala 2017 will support suicide prevention and education in Greater Grand Forks by donating to
TEARS (Together we Educate About the Realities of Suicide). Altru will partner with main
event sponsor, Alerus, to host the thirteenth annual gala on September 30, 2017 at the Alerus
Center.

Access to mental health services and suicide prevention were top identified health needs in this
years community needs assessment, said Jon Green, Executive Director of Altru Health
Foundation. Because suicide rates in our region are higher than the national average, we want to
raise funds to support mental health professionals and provide community education in hopes
that lives will be saved.

TEARS (Together we Educate About the Realities of Suicide) Suicide Awareness was
established to support individuals and families who have lost a loved one to suicide and also to
provide important education and suicide prevention in the Grand Forks area. We are thrilled
Altru has chosen TEARS as the recipient of the funds raised at this years gala, said Sandy
Kovar, a member of the TEARS suicide prevention committee. Education is the key to
prevention.

To learn more about TEARS, visit:

www.altru.org/services/psychiatry-center/tears/
To learn more about Altru Health Foundation, visit:
http://www.altru.org/about-us/support-altru/altru-health-foundation/

About Altru Health System

Altru Health System is a community of over 4,000 health professionals and support staff
committed to caring for the region for more than 100 years. Serving over 200,000 residents in
northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, we provide an array of services to meet the
needs of patients of all ages and levels of health. As the first member of the Mayo Clinic Care
Network, Altrus providers have access to clinically integrated tools extending Mayo Clinics
knowledge and expertise to patients.

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Media Inquiries:
Janelle C. Gergen (218) 207 9635 or jgergen@purdue.edu
 References

Altru Health System. (n.d.). Events - Altru Health System - Grand Forks, ND. Retrieved July 22,

2017, from http://www.altru.org/about-us/support-altru/altru-health-foundation/events/

Altru Health System. (n.d.). TEARS. Retrieved July 22, 2017, from

http://www.altru.org/services/psychiatry-center/tears/

Altru Health System. (n.d.). Who We Are. Retrieved July 22, 2017, from

http://www.altru.org/about-us/who-we-are/

Altru Health System, & Grand Forks Public Health. (n.d.). 2016 Community Health

Assessment (Rep.). Retrieved July 22, 2017, from Altru Health System and Grand Forks

Public Health website: http://www.altru.org/app/files/public/16628/CHA-2016-

Report.pdf

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (n.d.). Suicide Statistics AFSP. Retrieved July

22, 2017, from https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/