A volunteer training program aimed at helping families who lost a loved one to suicide will be meeting for the first time on Saturday.

The Local Outreach of Suicide Survivors or LOSS team, which was formed earlier this year through a partnership between the Carbon County Coroner Mark Smith and Larissa Kimmel, systems of care coordinator for Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health/Developmental Services, will meet for the training from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Zion UCC, Second and Iron streets, Lehighton.

The LOSS Team is made up of anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide one or more years ago, interested professionals and community members.

The team will meet monthly and will aim to provide support and information to help others grieving a lost loved one.

Members will be able to meet with these families in various settings or via phone once they are deployed following a set process from the coroner’s office.

“This is going to be a wonderful resource so that we can prevent further suicide losses as a result of the contagion that occurs afterwards,” Kimmel said in September.

To register for the training, email Kimmel at larissa.kimmel@cmpsystemsofcare.org or call 570-350-0585.