With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention citing suicide as the second-leading cause of death for those ages 15 to 19, a Youth Suicide Prevention Summit has been called by the Cherokee County School District and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The event, open to the public, is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, at the Cherokee County Conference Center, 1130 Bluffs Parkway, Canton.

The GBI reports 144 youths have taken their own lives in Georgia in the last three years. For every young person who dies by suicide, national statistics indicate 25 others tried to take their lives, meaning about 3,600 other youths attempted suicide during that period, school district officials said.

“In response, the GBI and Child Fatality Review are starting a conversation, through this summit and others being held across the state, to talk about what can be done to prevent suicides in Georgia,” the district said as it announced the meeting.

For information about the GBI Child Fatality Review Program: https://gbi.georgia.gov/CFR

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Cuthbert is the county seat of Randolph County, one of 94 Georgia counties that registered more deaths than births in 2024. The county's hospital closed in 2020, leaving longtime state Rep. Gerald Greene to drivce himself 46 miles to Albany while suffering from a kidney stone recently. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC