New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“On August 20th, at around 4 PM, south-end patrol units responded to the area of the UMass building on South Rodney French Blvd. for a person who was attempting suicide.
Ofc.’s Mohammad Mir and Brandon Duarte arrived on the scene and observed this person in the water stating that they were going to drown themself. The officers made numerous attempts to speak with this person and convince them to return to the shore, however, it was to no avail. They let go of a pier onto which they had been holding and began to swim into deeper waters.
Carlos Pimental Felix photo.
At this time, Ofc. Christian Gomes of the department’s dive team and paramedic David Branco arrived on the scene. They entered the water, made their way to the person’s location, and were able to bring them back to the shoreline. The distraught person was then transported to the hospital for further evaluation.
September is suicide awareness month. There are an average of 123 suicides each day in this country. It’s the tenth leading cause of death in America — second leading for ages 25-34, and third leading for ages 15-24. If you or someone you know is feeling depressed or suicidal, help is available.
The 24/7 Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) directly connects individuals and families to the full range of treatment services for mental health and substance use offered in Massachusetts. Anyone in Massachusetts can call, text, or chat at any time to receive individualized support, clinical assessment, and personalized treatment referrals.
Connect with qualified professionals for mental health assessments, crisis services, substance use treatment, referrals, and more, with options in all communities. Help Line staff will remain on the line until callers are connected to their next step.
• Call or text 833-773-2445 (BHHL)
• Start a chat at masshelpline.com/chat.
• Deaf or hard of hearing? If you use a TTY, contact MassRelay at 711. Otherwise, call your video relay service at 833-773-2445.
• Crisis Lifeline, call 988
• Community Behavioral Health Center, 965 Church St., call (508) 996-3154
Open 365 days a year, the call/text line and online chat service is completely free (no insurance needed) and is available in over 200 languages.”
