By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW – A movement to reduce the number of overdose deaths and suicides in Kosiusko County is gaining traction.
A local Suicide-Overdose Fatality Review (SOFR) team was established in 2024 with the support of county coroner Tyler Huffer and Tammy Cotton, a co-founder of LITE Recovery Hub, whose organization often sees upclose the impact of both types of deaths.
The SOFR team includes representatives of local hospitals, mental health organizations, law enforcement, emergency responders and others who meet regularly to review recent cases in hopes of learning what can be done to reduce those types of deaths in the future.
Nationally, suicides have been on the rise since the pandemic, with an increasing number involving young people.
While the local number of overdoses deaths has fallen in recent years, the number of suicides has perhaps gained more attention.
The coroner’s office documented 14 overdose deaths last year, which is nearly half as many as it was just a few years ago.
There were 16 suicides in the county in 2025.
The county recorded four suicides in January.
SOFR uses guidelines from the Indiana Department of Health in developing programs that address suicide and overdose deaths. Marshall and Whitley counties have also established SOFR teams.
In Kosicusko County, one program is already established, and another is being developed.
Both were jump-started with grant money secured by Cotton.
Handle with Care is used in the Warsaw and Tippecanoe Valley school districts and helps school officials identify students who have experienced a traumatic event so they can watch for signs that those students are struggling.
The other initiative is the creation of a LOSS Team (Local Outreach for Suicide Survivors), a concept being embraced in other communities, which offers support and resources to those closely affected by suicide, often family members.
Losing a family member to suicide significantly increases the risk of suicidal behavior for survivors.
The group includes involvement from those who have been touched by suicide.
Organizers say they want to create a supportive community, which can help reduce the amount of isolation people often experience after being close to someone who has taken their life.
“We’re trying to help those from going down that same road,” Huffer said.
Cotton said they are still in the early stages of establishing the LOSS team and that they will eventually have a Facebook page.
SOFR is also promoting a new effort led by Warsaw CARES to offer free training on how to approach somebody who they think might be feeling suicidal.
The class is called QPR, which stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer.
“It’s basically CPR for suicide prevention, said Tanya Jackson, one of two full-time staff with CARES.
She said numerous groups, including Warsaw city employees, have had the training, and officials believe it could benefit young people.
“It’s something everyone should be trained on, I feel like, because you never know when you’re going to come across someone that might have suicidal thoughts,” Cotton said.
Huffer said he’s encouraged by the progress of SOFR and said he’d like to see even more collaboration, especially with CARES.
“We’re moving in the right direction, for sure,” Huffer said.
Cotton agrees
“I think we have some growing to do, but we’re on the right track,” Cotton said. “I know we’re making a difference because we’re seeing the numbers go down in overdose deaths.”
While Fentanyl remains prevalent in the community, the number of overdose deaths from Fentanyl has dropped off significantly, officials said.
Cotton, who tracks overdose deaths, said she thinks increased access to Narcan, which can reverse the effects of an overdose, has helped.
LITE is in the process of making Narcan easily available free of charge throughout the county.
Soon after assuming office in 2023, Huffer installed a sign outside his office on Old Road 30 that tracks the number of overdose deaths for the year.
“That sign outside the coroner’s office won’t come down until we have zero,” he said
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