Westchester breaks ground on 'healing garden' to mark suicide prevention month

Westchester County just broke ground on the garden being constructed at Ridge Road Park in Hartsdale which is free to the public.

Nadia Galindo

Sep 7, 2022, 9:55 PM

Updated 601 days ago

Share:

A quiet, green space will soon be the site of a Healing Garden for people who have lost a loved one to suicide.
Westchester County just broke ground on the garden being constructed at Ridge Road Park in Hartsdale, which is free to the public.
The $20,000 project will include landscaping, benches and stepping stones and will stand as a memorial for people who have survived suicide or lost loved ones, like David Carraturo.
"Four years, nine months have passed since my life and my the life of my family has changed," he said.
Carraturo lost his daughter to suicide and has turned his pain into advocacy for suicide prevention and awareness.
Last year, 65 people died by suicide in Westchester County.
To recognize each of those lives lost, there is a pinwheel placed at the future site of the Healing Garden.
"To let them (suicide survivors) know we share their grief we hope that out of that experience of shared grief that we can be a stronger family all of us together as a family," said Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
The Healing Garden is a recommendation by a planning committee appointed by Latimer in 2021.
The garden is expected to by completed and opened by May 2023.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. You can call or text 988 to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline.


More from News 12