Suicide Awareness Month

Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide’s Night of Hope and Healing Fundraiser on Sept. 28 Offers Opportunity For Yampa Valley To Celebrate, Grow Mental Health Support Network

As the Yampa Valley enters the most beautiful season of the year, Steamboat Locals will be  focusing on a pressing topic; mental health. 

September serves as National Suicide Prevention Month (SPM). As a result, our features will examine mental health awareness and the resources that exist in the Yampa Valley to promote healthy minds and prevent loss of life by suicide. 

“Suicide Prevention Month is crucial for the Yampa Valley and organizations like Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide (REPS) because this region, like many rural communities, often faces unique challenges that can contribute to higher rates of mental health issues and suicide,” said REPS Executive Director Mindy Marriott. “Over the past several years, and particularly in the last year, the mental health landscape in Routt and Moffat counties has seen significant shifts, largely driven by ongoing challenges and new initiatives to address them.” 

REPS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, protect, and promote life by raising awareness while providing a vast network of mental health support in the Yampa Valley. By providing complimentary counseling services to individuals in need, they are able to proactively address mental health crises. The organization also creates alliances to provide training to expand the region’s mental health network. 

By providing community connections and raising awareness, REPS is able to improve and save lives through education while also working to expand mental health resources within the greater Yampa Valley region. Suicide Awareness Month provides unique opportunity for all the the area’s mental health organizations to work together to provide the best services possible.

In Routt County, 20.9% of adults and 35.3% of students reported symptoms related to depression over the last year. Both Routt and Moffat counties have also witnessed a spike in suicide rates, particularly among younger adults and the elderly. The REPS website explains that the Rocky Mountain region has the highest suicide rate in the United States and is referred to as “the suicide belt.” The suicide rate on the Western Slope is three times higher when compared to the state of Colorado as a whole. 

There are several factors that can contribute to higher instances of mental health challenges and suicide in rural communities. Those include geographic isolation, which can result in feelings of loneliness and depression, as well as stigmas surrounding mental health and suicide. Mariott explained that these aspects can be addressed by creating an encouraging and normalizing culture surrounding communities and individuals in regards to mental health.

Geriatric mental health services in the region are lacking, according to Marriott. As a result, REPS has partnered with Mind Springs Health and Northwest Colorado Health to provide services to older individuals who are in need, though she noted that the level of demand still exceeds the resources available. 

REPS is also utilizing a program entitled “It Takes Courage”, which is designed to provide middle school students with tools to build internal fortitude while growing “empathetic communities.”

In order to be proactive, Routt County has created a community dashboard that tracks mental health indicators while also helping residents access the right resources. REPS has reinforced their focus on prevention and postvention supports by integrating training programs including Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Question-Persuade- Refer (QPR) training, and Talk Saves Lives training. These community-focused programs are designed to provide individuals with the skills to identify, and support, those who might be at risk of suicide. 

The reinforcement of the region’s mental health framework involves work from many partners. Those include Mind Springs Health, Northwest Colorado Health, the Steamboat Springs School District, Advocates of Routt County, and the Yampa Valley Medical Center. 

“The greatest challenge currently facing REPS in fulfilling our mission is the increasing demand for mental health services coupled with limited resources,” explained Marriott. “As suicide rates continue to rise, particularly in rural areas like the Yampa Valley, we face significant pressure to expand programs and services.” 

One individual, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of their story, shared with Steamboat Locals how REPS complimentary counseling services were instrumental in their life. After losing housing in Steamboat Springs, they found themselves homeless last fall. As a working professional and single parent, they shared the deep sense of anxiety and stress that accompanied the loss of a place to live for them and their children. After being encouraged to reach out to REPS, they were quickly paired with a counselor and began therapy the same week.

“It really saved me,” they noted. “With the help of REPS, I was able to settle myself mentally while also being provided with the support I needed to rise back up, brush myself off, and move forward in my life.” 

The culmination of the local focus on Suicide Awareness Month will be a fundraiser on Sept. 28 at Old Town Pub called “A Night of Hope & Healing.” The event will feature live music by Hans Willams as well as a silent auction, food, and beverages. 

Marriott noted that REPS did receive a commitment from an anonymous donor for a $25,000 match during September to raise awareness and increase funding towards REPS programming and increasing the level of staffing.

Steamboat Locals is proud to be a presenting sponsor of REPS upcoming Night of Hope and Healing on September 28 at The Old Town Pub. Enjoy live music from Hans Williams (currently featured on the Steamboat Locals Choice for Music), food and drinks, and a silent auction in a positive, supportive, and inclusive setting.. 
For more information, to purchase tickets, or donate, please visit https://nwcosuicideprevention.com/.

In September, Steamboat Locals’ writer John Camponeschi will be presenting you a four-part series of stories about mental health in Routt County and the people, organizations and educators that raise awareness and provide solutions for those in need.

This series of stories is proudly presented to you by Jon Wade and The Steamboat Group as a continuation of their commitment to “Keep Steamboat Special” by supporting non-profits and events that promote a healthy Steamboat lifestyle! You can also support their efforts simply by making a request on the Steamboat Locals Choice for Music. For every song request made in the month of September, The Steamboat Group will donate $2 to REPS, up to $500 total!