UTRGV Medical School, Mission Police team up for suicide training

MISSION, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine and the Mission Police Department held a suicide prevention training.

Thursday's event at the Center for Education and Economic Development Building (CEED) in Mission was for first responders since they are often the first to arrive during this type of crisis.

However, many first responders feel underprepared for suicide-related encounters, according to the news release.

"The training today is a crisis intervention. We've seen an increase in the need to train our staff for suicide prevention. For us, it's very important to try to impact at least one life. If we can save one life, it's very well worth it," said Teodoro Rodriguez, Assistant Mission Police Chief.

In addition, Thursday's workshop helped enhance the Mission Police Department's mental health-related interventions as part of the Crisis Intervention Unit.