SLO father who died by suicide struggled to search out assist
Jason Erracalde of San Luis Obispo was reported lacking on the finish of June 2022 and was later discovered deceased.
Courtesy of SLOPD
Editor’s notice: This text mentions suicide and could also be troubling for some readers.
The family members of a San Luis Obispo father who died by suicide stated he struggled to entry psychological well being companies in San Luis Obispo County.
Jason Erraclede, an electrician at Precision Development Providers in San Luis Obispo, coped with despair and suicidal ideation for many of his life, his spouse Tiffany Erraclede informed The Tribune.
He was reported lacking on June 29 and was discovered later discovered useless.
For years, the household struggled to search out companies on the Central Coast to assist Erraclede, she stated.
Erraclede leaves behind his spouse, Tiffany, and sons Jaden, 15, and Jaxon, 9.
“He was a very nice dad,” Tiffany Erraclede stated. “I can’t fill the void for him.”
The household has arrange a GoFundMe web page to assist cowl prices related along with his dying at gofund.me/435f23a1.
Pals and colleagues mourn Central Coast man
The individuals who labored with Erraclede had been deeply impacted by his passing.
Pals bear in mind him as a beneficiant and outgoing one that was at all times prepared to lend a serving to hand on the workplace.
Precision Development Providers HR supervisor Stephanie McDonald stated one instance of Erraclede’s giving nature occurred on June 24, when he got here to work at 6 a.m. to assist her arrange for a team-building occasion a number of days earlier than his dying.
“It doesn’t matter what he was fighting, he at all times confirmed as much as work with a bubbly, optimistic angle, and it was actually shocking for all of us,” McDonald stated of his dying.
After they realized Erraclede had died, the workforce had lunch collectively after which left to spend time with their family members, McDonald stated.
Since then, the Precision Development workforce has tried to wrap their arms round his grieving household, offering assist nevertheless they will, McDonald stated.
“It’s actually onerous as a result of lots of people love Jason, and he was at all times serving to individuals,” Tiffany Erraclede stated. “He was at all times listening to individuals’s issues, and I want he would have allowed individuals to be there for him the best way he was there for different individuals.”
Household struggled to search out psychological well being companies in SLO County
Tiffany and Jason Erraclede had been married for 10-1/2 years, and through that point, Jason struggled with extreme despair.
“I attempted so onerous to get him assist earlier on. I scheduled remedy appointments, I did the whole lot that I might, however in the end it was as much as him,” Tiffany stated.
The household skilled numerous obstacles to accessing psychological well being care on the Central Coast, she stated.
For some time, that they had protection by way of CenCal, which is the Central Coast administrator of MediCal insurance coverage, besides, that they had a tough time discovering psychological well being suppliers.
“He couldn’t discover a psychiatrist to just accept him as a brand new affected person with CenCal so he was nonetheless paying out of pocket to see his psychiatrist in San Jose over the cellphone with telehealth,” his spouse wrote in a textual content message to The Tribune. “I’ve labored in healthcare since 2009, and from their perspective, he was seen as a legal responsibility with the quite a few hospitalizations and makes an attempt.”
After they lastly bought non-public medical insurance after Erraclede began working at Precision Development Providers, they needed to cowl $3,000 deductible earlier than advantages kicked in, Tiffany stated.
“Not solely that, he had a very onerous time looking for a therapist on this space,” she stated. “Even then, after COVID and the whole lot, numerous therapists are solely seeing shoppers by Zoom telehealth appointments.”
Telehealth remedy was a poor substitute for in-person counseling and psychiatric companies for Jason, his spouse stated.
“In case you’re going to be discussing issues of that nature, it’s important to sit with somebody face-to-face,” she stated. “How do you construct rapport or belief? These are simply onerous issues to speak about.”
Jason was hospitalized a number of instances between 2015 and 2019, Tiffany stated. Throughout that point, the household was residing in San Jose, the place it was simpler to entry psychological well being companies that ranged from remedy to inpatient hospital beds, she stated.
After they returned to San Luis Obispo County and Jason skilled a psychological well being disaster, he would typically go to one of many 24-hour Disaster Stabilization Models within the county.
When his suicidal ideation was extreme sufficient, he typically stayed on the solely inpatient psychological well being facility in San Luis Obispo County — the 16-bed Psychiatric Well being Facility (PHF), referred to as the “Puff.”
“The psychological well being unit is just not just like the inpatient models he had been to earlier than (in San Jose),” she stated. “When he would go to the PHF, they’d medicate him, he would sleep it off for 3 days and are available residence.”
She added that “sleeping it off” fails to deal with the underlying despair that results in suicidal ideation.
The Erraclede household might use some assist
Jason’s dying is just not the one disaster dealing with Tiffany, who labored as a house well being nurse for Alzheimer’s sufferers till just lately.
Her elder son, Jaden, has equally struggled with psychological well being challenges and requires higher supervision to maintain him protected, she stated.
Each of her sons are reeling with grief after the dying of their father. Her youthful son, Jaxon, hasn’t needed to let her out of his sight. Jaden can also be struggling to manage.
The week earlier than Jason died, Tiffany needed to be hospitalized for a number of days for a medical situation.
When her husband was reported lacking, Tiffany needed to skip her shift at work to seek for him and handle her youngsters. She was laid off from her job as a well being help after lacking her shift.
“It’s simply been one factor after one other, and I couldn’t keep constant,” Tiffany stated. “(I’m) continuously coping with any person within the household having a disaster.”
Proper now, the household’s largest problem is funds. AFter shedding two sources of revenue just about in a single day, the life insurance coverage declare was denied as a result of Jason’s explanation for dying was a suicide.
The household has opted to maneuver into a brand new unit as a result of Jason Errelande died at residence however must provide you with cash for a brand new safety deposit.
Amanda Guzman, Tiffany’s cousin, arrange a GoFundMe web page to cowl funeral bills and different sudden prices for the Erraclede household.
“Melancholy and suicide are usually not issues to be taken calmly,” Guzman wrote on the GoFundMe web page. “Jason battled with himself for fairly a while, and sadly this illness gained out ultimately.”
Neighborhood members can contribute to the GoFundMe web page at gofund.me/435f23a1.
The household remains to be coming to phrases with the lack of “an excellent brother, an excellent father, an excellent husband and an ideal man,” Guzman stated.
“I nonetheless am having a tough time believing that that is actual,” Tiffany Erraclede stated.
She tells individuals who have family members that battle with despair or self-destructive impulses to ask for assist every time they categorical suicidal ideas or present intention to hurt themselves.
“(It) doesn’t matter what number of instances they are saying it … name for assist,” she stated.
The best way to get assist
In case you or somebody you understand is having ideas of suicide, the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for people in disaster or for these seeking to assist another person. To talk with an authorized listener, name 1-800-273-8255 toll-free. You may also name the Central Coast Hotline free of charge at 800-783-0607 for 24-7 help. To be taught the warning indicators of suicide, go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
