LOSS Team Update

As November begins to come to a close and the holidays draw near, I begin to reflect on our team and our mission. Over the past year, our team has doubled in size and is continuing to grow. Since our beginning only 17 months ago, we have provided suicide specific community resources and postvention support to hundreds of individuals across the Omaha area. Whether it be a phone call, a meeting, or simply supplying a family with a LOSS folder, our incredible LOSS Team members have given their time, shared their personal stories of surviving a loss, and inspired the newly bereaved with hope. Our team’s mission of providing peer support to those who are affected by the loss of a loved one to suicide would not be possible without these brave and passionate individuals. I am so thankful that I have been able to work with, and get to know each and every one of you.

On November 18^th the team was awarded Organization of the Year at Ted E. Bear Hollow’s Annual Awareness Grief Conference. This recognition was a wonderful surprise! It was both humbling and motiving to be recognized by our peers for our work.

I look forward to another year working side-by-side with our volunteers, law enforcement, and community support groups to provide the best possible postvention support to our community members.

Our 24/7 LOSS phone is to be used only by sheriffs, chaplains, and any other first responders responding to a suicide call. It is not a suicide prevention hotline. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call 1(800)273-TALK (8255) or 911, if it is an emergency. If you or someone you know has recently lost someone to suicide and would like to schedule a meeting with the on-call LOSS team, please contact The Kim Foundation at (402)891-6911.

Jill Hamilton, Project Coordinator, The Kim Foundation

Jill Hamilton has been the Project Coordinator at The Kim Foundation since 2014. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from The University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2009. Since working at the foundation, she has become an active member of the Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition, Nebraska LOSS Advisory Committee, The Omaha Metro Hoarding Taskforce, The Early Childhood Mental Health Coalition, Nebraska State Conference Planning Committee, is Chair of the Nebraska LOSS Teams Conference Planning Committee, and serves as the Outreach Coordinator for the Metro Area LOSS Team.