The tradition of an annual event to raise awareness of mental health and suicide as community issues will continue next week.   NJRMH’s Kathy Hubbard announced that “on Tuesday, September 16, Nell J. Redfield Memorial Hospital and the Malad City/Oneida County Mental Health Committee would like to invite all members of our community to the County Event Center to Walk for Awareness and Prevention of mental health and suicide issues, and to Walk for Remembrance of those who have died by suicide or other issues related to mental health. Join us for an evening of community, connection, and awareness!”

The schedule for the event notes that from 6:00–6:45 pm, FREE Walking Tacos (prepared by the talented MHS Culinary Students under the direction of Shantel Tavoian) will be available. Information and resource tables will be on hand from the following: Labyrinth Assessment & Behavioral Services, Malad City, Oneida School District Counseling Departments, Nell J. Redfield Memorial Hospital, Oneida County Extension Office, Oneida County Library, Oneida Crisis Center, Oneida County Senior Center, SICOG, Southeastern Idaho Public Health, The Village, Valley View Counseling.

An interactive scavenger hunt will take place during that time—prizes for completion will be given out after 6:45.

At 7:00 pm, attendees will gather for a short program and community walk. This year’s featured speaker is MaCall Smith, daughter of the late Dustin and Christine Smith. MaCall is a recent graduate of Utah Valley University’s Marriage and Family Therapy program, and she will share a message of awareness, hope, and resilience.

The awareness walk was started by Nell J. Redfield Memorial Hospital in partnership with community organizations in 2017 in remembrance of Troy Estep who worked for the hospital. Troy passed away in 2016. Troy’s wife, Julie, also works for the hospital and wanted to start an annual event to raise awareness for mental health and suicide. Julie worked with hospital staff to start an event that would bring the community together for awareness, prevention and remembrance. 

September is also National Suicide Prevention Month. As some mental health issues lead to suicide, it was decided that an awareness walk for both issues would be a way to help provide information, awareness of the stigma of mental health, and support for those in our community that either struggle with mental health/suicidal issues, or who have been impacted by a loved one’s death by suicide or mental health issues.

The walk, officially for “Awareness, Prevention, and Remembrance” is held across the country during the month of September to remind communities that suicide is an issue that can and does affect many lives regardless of location.

Mental health/suicidal issues are no respecter of persons. Lady Gaga, among the many successful and famous people who have spoken publicly about personal mental health issues, said, “I learned that my sadness never destroyed what was great about me. You just have to go back to that greatness, find that one little light that’s left. I’m lucky I found one little glimmer stored away.” Perhaps that little glimmer might be found in a friend who understands and can provide love and support. 

In years past, professionals in a number of fields (including health care and counseling, among others) as well as private individuals with impactful personal experiences in their own immediate lives have spoken to the audience.  

The more that the stigmas associated with both mental health issues and suicidality can be dispelled, the more likely those suffering will be to speak with someone who can help.  As the Crisis Center’s Melena Jimenez explained at last year’s event, “This is all about communication.  Communication is the first step to making things better, and that bridge is so important.  But someone does have to take the first step to make it happen.  There are too many people, alone and isolated in their pain, who need to cross the bridge to communication.  To the person in trouble, the message is TRUST, SHARE, TALK.  To their families and friends, it is REACH OUT, LISTEN, CARE.” 

Events like the Walk are important to raise community awareness of a topic that is often shrouded in silence, despite the wide and serious effects it brings with it.  The message of the speakers and the sponsors of the event has been uniformly that help is available, and that there are people who care even if that sometimes doesn’t seem to be the case.  

Last year, the event featured comments from registered nurse and health educator Rachel Madsen, after which those in attendance walked from the high school to the cemetery’s newly added “Million Broken Hearts” monument and back.  Along the way, signs placed in memory of loved ones who had died by suicide were placed along the path  As Rachel Madsen mentioned in her talk, there is no one who is not or has not been affected by the suicide of someone in their own lives.   

The “Million Broken Hearts” monument was placed at the Malad City Cemetery in time for Memorial Day earlier last year.  It was the result of a long effort by local author Jill Vanderwood to create a place in the cemetery devoted to remembering those lost to suicide, domestic violence, or accidental death.  The monument reads, in part “Each life that is ended through violence, suicide, or accidental death leaves behind a million broken hearts.”

The Crisis Center presented the startling finding that in many cases “within ten minutes an individual can go from thinking about suicide to action.”  As a result, it is important to be a ready listener, and be vigilant for any signs that a friend, family member, co-worker, or anyone else is potentially thinking about harming themselves or others.  

Suicide has long been stigmatized, despite its near-universal existence across cultures, age groups, ethnicities, economic classes, and every other demographic.  All communities are affected by suicide, and a suicide not only affects the immediate person who injures themselves, but the many people left behind.  In many cases, the entire community is affected by the act, which it is in everyone’s interest to help prevent. 

Rachel Madsen, as well as many of the others involved with the walk, stressed the importance of acknowledging the reality of suicidality as a very real issue that can only be addressed when it is brought out of the darkness and into the light, where those suffering can potentially receive support and intervention from others.  There are a large number of pressures and stressors that contribute to suicidal ideation, but they can only be dealt with when they are transparently discussed and engaged with as issues.  

Regardless of whether you have had a direct experience with either negative mental health issues or suicide itself, there is no doubt those issues have affected your life and the lives of many around you.  This year’s presentation should be as compelling and important as it has been every one of the last nine years the community has set aside the time to listen.