Community conversation tonight

In July, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced that Wyoming is advancing its systemic approach to mental health care reform.

The next phase of the Governor’s suicide prevention efforts is now in motion. Under the WY We Care initiative, select counties will participate in an intensive community suicide prevention program through the PROSPER Project. PROSPER (Proactive Reduction of Suicide in Populations via Evidence-Based Research) represents over five decades of research into optimal strategies for suicide prevention and intervention, dynamically integrating contemporary suicidology findings, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

Washakie County is one of those counties selected and a community meeting will be tonight (Thursday). 

The community event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Worland Community Center and is expected to last until 7:30 p.m. Featured presenters will be renowned suicidologist Kent Corso and suicide attempt survivor Shawn Moore.

Corso said, “People can expect a constructive, supportive and encouraging conversation that destigmatizes suicide and improves community understanding and connectedness. Shawn Moore is a military veteran who survived his own suicide attempt. I am a suicidologist whose team has been sponsored by Governor Gordon to deliver intensive community-based suicide prevention in several WY counties in coordination with all local prevention coalitions. Washakie is one of our assigned counties for this effort.”

Other counties include Sweetwater, Sublette and Natrona.

Corso said intensive community-based suicide prevention empowers all members of the community to be part of the solution, as local communities are the best situated to help themselves.

Lesley Manson, Psy.D. and PROSPER master trainer said that information from the Washakie County prevention specialist will be available. There will be a welcome and a presentation from Corso about suicide as a social issue, including what to know about it and what people can do.

Moore will then talk about his experiences and there will be a question-and-answer session.

Manson said the event will close with what PROSPER would like to see what could change in the community to address suicide. She said the recommendations they make, some are general in nature and some are geared specifically toward the communities.

She noted that Worland is not reporting deaths by suicide like some other counties do and they will ask if that is something the community would like to know or see changed.

There will also be a discussion about free resources, one of which is PROSPER. “We do free suicide training for any organization,” Manson said. Earlier on Thursday, PROSPER is conducting two free trainings in Washakie County, one for medical and mental health clinicians, religious leaders and crisis staff and the other for first responders, educators and religious leaders. PROSPER will also have one online in February.

They will also be coming back to Worland next year.

According to the PROSPER website, “Wyomingites are tough, just like the lifestyle and environment in which they live. Yet the benefits of living in such a beautiful state come with challenges too, especially when it comes to suicide. Residents appreciate independence and self-reliance; some call it the cowboy culture. We are helping Wyomingites lean into their culture to help themselves when they’re in distress — and help each other, with a 50% reduction in suicides in Teton County. We have helped add one more reason for Wyoming residents to be proud of themselves. Now it is time to branch out, empowering other communities state-wide.”

Manson said PROSPER has been working in Teton County since prior to the COVID pandemic. Numbers are as reported from the Teton County prevention specialist.

Per the PROSPER website, “Wyoming ranks among the top five U.S. states for suicide rates, double the national average. It is the seventh leading cause of death in Wyoming and the second for ages 10-44. Over 70% of these suicides involve firearms. Low population density, severe weather and social factors significantly impact Wyoming’s high suicide rates.

PROSPER

The PROSPER mission, per the website is, “To reduce suicide risk in communities through strength-based, culturally consistent education, empowerment, and community engagement.”

They describe their approach as “while implementing prevention, intervention, and postvention, we unite communities by focusing on their shared culture and values. Effective suicide prevention is not a one-size-fits-all process; we must build trust and empower people, meeting them where they are—not where we want them to be.”

For more information go online to https://prospertogether.net/community-wyoming/.

WY WE CARE INITIATIVE

The WY We Care initiative, announced earlier this year by Gordon, is the culmination of extensive collaboration among all three branches of state government, local community teams, and private sector providers. This initiative aims to reduce Wyoming’s suicide rate, improve access to behavioral health services, and strengthen the state’s behavioral healthcare workforce

Governor Gordon highlighted the widespread impact of behavioral health challenges in Wyoming, noting the tragic frequency of deaths by suicide. “Our work is far from complete — we must come together in our homes, our schools, our faith-based communities, businesses, and clubs — to make it clear, it’s OK not to be OK,” Gordon said.