Event upcoming for National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Alisha Jordan, Great Falls Tribune
·2 min read

The entire month of September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, highlighted locally by an event coming next week in Billings.

During September people are encouraged to advocate for better mental health care and raise awareness of the stigma surrounding suicide. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, 988 is now available nationwide as the new number to contact for mental health, substance use and suicide crises. This new number will allow people to quickly connect them support during a crisis at any time, nationwide.

The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Yellowstone Valley has organized a “Building Up & Encouraging a Compassionate Community,” a free conference on suicide prevention, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 23.

The conference, supported in part by RiverStone Health, will provide information about suicide risks and increase attendees’ ability to help a person at risk. Unspoken Words, a Native American podcast team, will host the conference. Speakers will highlight the work of the Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center, Pay Love Forward, Adult Resource Alliance, Adaptive Performance, which focuses on veterans, and Step In, an organization that builds up protective factors to save lives.

Participants may attend virtually or in person at the St. Vincent Healthcare Mansfield Education Center in Billings. In-person attendance is limited and registration is required. Register online at spcoalitionyv.org/2022conference.

Continuing education credits will be available for nurses, teachers, addiction counselors, mental health counselors and clinical social workers.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 immediately. If you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available for chat at 988lifeline.org. Alternatively you can text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (SPAM)