Hill Air Force Base addressing rash of suicides

HILL AIR FORCE BASE -- Top brass at Hill Air Force Base held a press conference Friday afternoon to alert the base community about measures being taken to address a rash of suicides.

The move comes after the base confirmed Friday a fourth suicide this year, following eight suicides last year.

Base officials say they want to alert the base community about counselors and other resources available as they try to reduce the troubling numbers of suicides among base workers.

So far this year, three base civilians and one active member of the military have committed suicide.

Why? Base officials say they're not really sure.

"We haven't been able to develop a theory for why people take their lives," said Ogden Air Logistics Center Commander Maj. Gen. Andrew Busch. "We observe it, and we deal with the symptoms as best we can."

Investigations revealed a variety of factors in the suicides, according to Busch, including drug abuse, economic worries, troubled relationships and mental heath issues.

The base has 23,000 employees. Just 6,000 of them are active duty military, the rest civilians. According to Hill, 24 base workers -- most of them civilians -- have committed suicide since 2006.

The state's suicide rate is roughly 15 per 100,000 people, according to a recent report by the Deseret News, but last year the rate at Hill was above that.

"We continue to focus on suicide prevention and identifying employees that want to help themselves," Busch said.

Four years ago, the base started new programs focusing on morale and employee wellness. It recently hired a full-time psychologist to join the base's occupational medical staff. Hill Air Force Base has counseling available as well as a number of other resources.

It developed a system of "wellness" and "wingman" advocates, friends and co-workers who provide support.

E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com

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