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From our Former Board Chair, Joan Murphy
Dear Coalition Members, It's a new year and the NM Suicide Prevention
Coalition is looking forward to a busy, productive 2009. We had
four very well attended Coalition meetings in 2008 with great
response from our members and plan for interesting speakers and
presentations for this coming year. We look forward to being
at the Roundhouse on February 26, 2009 and invite everyone to come by
our table during Behavioral Health Day.
What an honor and privilege it has been to serve as the Chairwoman of
this Coalition! The dedicated members of our board have my
utmost respect and admiration for the hours, dedication and
commitment they have shown for this difficult work. They are
the backbone of the Coalition and the work of the Coalition could not
be accomplished without them. I thank them all from the bottom
of my heart.
I am delighted to announce we begin this New Year with a new
Chairwoman, Sabrina Strong, whom I am delighted to welcome into the
position. The transition has already taken place - smoothly, unlike
some transitions that are continuing as I write. Sabrina has
been a valuable Board member of the Coalition and it's no surprise
she was elected unanimously by our Board. She is currently a Health
Promotion Specialist for the New Mexico Department of Health and a
suicide survivor. She holds a Masters in Public Health from Boston
University, and has been a health educator for fifteen years. I
know that with Sabrina's help as the Chairwoman the Coalition will
continue to move forward.
Most of you know that we have a relatively new Executive Director,
Laura Rowland, who has hit the ground running. She has made a
point of increasing the visibility of the Coalition by making great
contacts with members of the media, organizing our records and working
with our funders. Laura just visited with Governor Bill
Richardson during his open office hours to inform him of the
Coalition's accomplishments and hopes for the future. Laura
has, what seems to be, unlimited energy and dedication to the New
Mexico Suicide Prevention Coalition. We're lucky to have her.
I am extremely excited about the coming years for the
Coalition. We are anticipating new Board members who will bring
experience that can only benefit our growth. I want to wish all
our precious members, and I do mean precious, a wonderful New
Year. You are precious to me because as you know suicide is a
subject that most people would rather not think about, and you are
members are how we make the subject easier to talk about. Thank
you for all you do for suicide prevention. Your concern and
continued commitment to reducing suicide among all ages is most
appreciated. Now let's all get to work together!
Joan
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