Suicide is the most preventable kind of death, and almost any positive action may save a life.

That was the crux of the message delivered by speakers from the Suicide Prevention Task Force of Schuylkill County during a meeting Wednesday in Tamaqua.About two dozen people attended the program held in the Tamaqua Community Arts Center.Karl Jones of Orwigsburg, a retired minister and member of the Suicide Prevention Task Force, was the main speaker. He recommended the QPR method, which stands for "Question, Persuade, Refer," a system of suicide prevention created by Paul Quinnett, Ph.D.Jones showed three videos on suicide prevention, one of them created by high school students throughout the county which separated myth from truth about suicide. People also shared stories on the videos.Linda Wagner, chairman of the task force, said Carbon and Schuylkill counties have high suicide rates per capita compared to the rest of the state.In Schuylkill, 230 suicides have been confirmed since 2006. So far this year, eight suicides have been confirmed in Schuylkill.Last year, 32 people took their own lives.That rate might be even higher with suspected suicides, Wagner said.Many of those in attendance had personal experience with suicide.Tara Stauffenberg of Tamaqua lost her brother and father to suicide. The brother was 32 when he killed himself in 2009. Their father died 35 years earlier.Stauffenberg said her brother had attempted suicide six months earlier in 2009, and after that, "I thought he was dealing with it."She said, "I pleaded with him, please don't do it to again."Ann Marie Calabrese of Tamaqua remembers how her sister died on Labor Day in 1997. Calabrese was 25 at the time. Her sister was 10 years older.It was the sister's third suicide attempt, but still came as a shock. Earlier in the day, her sister had been planning a Labor Day picnic.To honor her sister, Calabrese and several others have started an organization called "The Link," to help Schuylkill and Carbon Counties with suicide awareness and prevention.The Link will hold a "Dudefest" on Aug. 13 at West Penn Rod and Gun Club.Wagner said people often discuss suicide there, but the festival is geared to having a good time, with activities planned for children.One woman said that suicide prevention does work. A suicidal relative had moved in with her family. She spent hours at night talking him through his problems, sometimes staying up all night."I don't know what would have happened if we wouldn't have been there for him," she said.To reach the Suicide Prevention Task Force in Schuylkill County, call 877-993-4357.