Community health groups will conduct a free screening later this month of a movie about a man who attempted suicide, failed and now tries to save others from taking their own lives.

It would seem that suicide prevention is an evergreen topic, but statistics show that suicide has been on the rise across the United States — including in Pennsylvania — over the past 20 years. We hope that the upcoming screening will be accompanied by ongoing outreach to people who are struggling in Butler County.

Butler Memorial Hospital will screen “Suicide: The Ripple Effect” at 11:30 a.m. May 21 in the Nixon-Sarver Classroom. The film chronicles the life of Kevin Hines, a public speaker who discusses his own attempt to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco when he was a teenager. As he fell through the air, he regretted his action and fortunately survived.

The screening is a partnership between the Butler County Suicide Coalition, Butler Health Systems and VA Butler Healthcare. The VA intends to hold more screenings throughout the area and is encouraging venues to contact the suicide coalition to set them up.

This is a great idea. We hope these local institutions hold more events for local people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts.

A report released last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the suicide rate increased in nearly every state over the past 20 years. In the study — which looked at the number of suicides per state between 1999 and 2016 — Pennsylvania’s suicide rate rose by 34 percent during that 17-year period. And 2017 statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 2,030 Pennsylvania residents took their own lives that year. In the report, common factors that contributed to suicide included relationship problems, substance abuse, criminal legal problems, physical health issues, loss of housing and job or financial problems.

Coroner reports in Butler County over the past five years show that there have been an average 24 confirmed deaths by suicide per year. According to the county’s suicide coalition, that number could be lower than actual figures because not all suicides — for example, overdose deaths in which intentions might not be clear — can be categorized as such.

In other words, there are a number of people in the state — and in our county — who are struggling and can see no way out for their problems. We hope that the screening at Butler Memorial Hospital will inspire others who are having a difficult time. Our local health systems and the suicide coalition should hold more outreach events in the community. In the meantime, people who are feeling isolated can contact the Butler County crisis line (800-292-3866), National Suicide Prevention Line (800-273-8255) or veterans crisis line (800-273-8255, then dial 1).