The first statewide suicide prevention conference, "Building a Safety Net — Getting Connected for Suicide Prevention" will be Nov. 15 and 16 at the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio.

One person dies of suicide every three days in Hawai'i — about 123 a year — the second leading cause of injury death in the state, according to the state Department of Health. In addition, for every suicide, there are 12 attempts made. Young people are at the highest risk for suicide attempts, according to the state DOH.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Suicide Prevention Task Force; the Hawai'i Suicide Prevention, Education, Awareness and Research Foundation of America; HMSA; and the Rotary club of Metropolitan Honolulu. The goal is to bring together agencies, organizations, communities and individuals from across the state to increase their knowledge of suicide prevention strategies and to ultimately reduce the number of suicides and suicide attempts in the state.

The conference is open to professional health and social services workers, those affected by suicide and the public. Conference details and registration information is available at www.hawaii.gov/health or call 586-5939.