It’s important to remember that suicide prevention isn’t just posting the hotline number. Still an important step to get the information out there, for sure. But…
Suicide prevention is providing health care.
Suicide prevention is providing mental health services.
Suicide prevention is also providing food, education, recreation opportunities, support groups, jobs with dignity…
The number one cause of death for teens in Utah is suicide. There is a lot of work to do here folks.
There is a system error when the answer to prevent suicide is to check in on your friends.
[Edit: I recently helped a teen get connected to the hotline and was surprised to discover that when you call a human doesn’t pick up the phone. Instead, you are routed through a system until you find someone to connect to. What a shame. We need to connect to people in these intense moments. Still so much work ahead.]
Josh Allred's Blog 