Volunteers recently distributed hundreds of carnations and thank-you notes to Chester County Hospital employees. The “Carnation Day” event was an effort of the Care Team, part of Chester County’s Suicide Prevention Task Force (CCSPTF). It is an outreach project created with the simple idea that even brief interventions and acts of kindness can be effective tools for suicide prevention.  

The number of Americans reporting mental health challenges and even suicidal thoughts has been on the rise in recent years, especially after the global pandemic, according to Mental Health America, which has issued the annual “State of Mental Health in America” report since 2015. However, research shows that when individuals make personal connections and show they care, it can boost our overall health and emotional wellbeing, ultimately helping to prevent suicide.  

On Wednesday, the CCSPTF Care Team set up two displays in the hospital that included thank you notes created by local school children, as well as information about suicide prevention and the elevated risks for LGBTQ+ individuals, in observance of Pride Month. The VA Medical Center in Coatesville also provided gun locks. Hospital employees — from physicians, nurses, technicians, and food service staff to curbside valets, security officers, and housekeeping staff — were all handed a carnation and thanked for their work and dedication.   

“We saw tears, hugs, hands on hearts, smiles in eyes. Some folks shared their struggles, their stories. So many expressed their surprise and gratitude at being recognized,” said Laurie Hay, who chairs the Care Team with Irene Roach.  

The CCSPTF Care Team launched their first outreach project last year, when they made and delivered 16 baskets of goodies to five Chester County hospital emergency departments and the county’s crisis telephone line workers in one day.

Since then, they have also reached out to express gratitude and care to Chester County’s 911 dispatchers, law enforcement, and other front-line workers with the request they pay it forward, creating a chain reaction of personal connection and spreading kindness.  

For more information about the CCSPTF this project or photographs of the Carnation Day outreach, e-mail ccsptaskforce@gmail.com or visit the website.