Calls to Iowa’s Red Cross Crisis Hotline have taken a sharp increase in thetwo weeks since the Colorado school shootings. While the boost shows morepeople are under stress, one of the hotline’s directors says it’s also goodnews as it demonstrates people are seeking help.Karen Hyatt-Smith is director of community telephone services at the CentralIowa Red Cross chapter. She says this is National Suicide Prevention Weekand she hopes Iowans will get the message that help is out there.Statistics find there is a suicide every 17 minutes in the U-S, and guns areused 40-times more often for suicides than for self-defense.Suicide is the third leading cause of death for people between the ages of15 and 24, behind accidents & homicides. Some 775-thousand people attemptsuicide every year. The statewide crisis hotline number is: 800-244-7431.
