Drivers in the Prince Street Garage, in Lancaster may notice new fencing along the top two levels of the parking garage.
Lancaster Parking Authority Executive Director, Larry Cohen says when it comes to suicides, "one is too many." He says four suicides have happened at the garage in the last year and a half.
Cohen says, "At the end of the day we said this is something we don't want in our facilities, so we took the fairly drastic measure of putting fencing up."
The move cost the Parking Authority $42,000. The fencing surrounds the roof and seventh levels of the garage.
Cohen says, "The parking garage is not a prison, we are not fully enclosing it. It's almost impossible to do that, it's the size of a city block."
In addition to fencing, signs can be seen throughout the garage, encouraging people to seek help if they are thinking about ending their life.
Alice Yoder is the Director of Health and Wellness at Lancaster General Health. She says, "In addition to fencing, signs like this can be seen throughout the garage, encouraging people to seek help is they are thinking about ending their life."
Yoder says ultimately, suicide prevention starts with early intervention.
Yoder says, "If we feel anxious or stressed or depressed, it's okay and to reduce the stigma of people wanting to hide it or feel embarrassed about talking about it, we can start early on seeking help."