Breakfast, coffee, arts and crafts and a good cause. That’s what RISE Southwest’s third annual suicide prevention walk will bring to Montezuma County in September.
The walk will occur Sept. 7 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at Montezuma Park, 3 W. Montezuma Ave. in Cortez. The walk is dedicated to those whose lives have been impacted by suicide, and is held to raise awareness.
The walk was started by Derek Streeter, who lost his brother to suicide in 2015. He and his family realized that the closest suicide awareness event was in Telluride, so they started this annual event in Cortez to bring more awareness to the area.
Since then, the event has inspired more people to discuss their experiences with suicide, whether they attempted or lost family members to suicide. According to Trent Woods, Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager at the Montezuma Health Department, the walk has featured guest speakers each year since its debut.
Streeter spoke about his experience with suicide and the grief he dealt with during the first annual walk. Amanda O’Connor has also spoken, and will again this year, about her experience as a survivor of a suicide attempt.
“My first-ever true suicide attempt was probably when I was 20. So that's 12 years ago. I struggled with suicidal ideation from the time I was 13 onward,” O’Connor told a Journal reporter. “I did get connected with Axis in Durango, and I had really great results.”
O’Connor shared that at the time, she didn’t know about resources in the community, so Axis was her only option.
“I did walk into it with an open mind and really wanting to make some changes in my life. So I feel like I benefited pretty well from the services that I received,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor now works for Axis Health as a behavioral health technician, helping behavioral health providers maintain their caseload and reaching out to people who haven’t been seen in a while.
Unofficially, she also helps with peer support when necessary. Her own experience with addiction allows her to connect with those struggling with addiction on a deeper level, which is especially helpful.
Axis Health serves the counties of Southwest Colorado, offering whole-body care. Locations include Cortez, Dove Creek and Durango, and they aim to serve everybody in the region, regardless of ability to pay, according to their website.
“They have a lot of awesome people doing some really hard work,” Woods said. “That being said, rural populations tend to be underserved in regards to mental behavioral health services.”
Montezuma County is among those with the “highest incidence of suicide by population,” according to Woods.
As of July 24, Montezuma County had eight suicides so far this year, according to Coroner George Deavers. According to statistics from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Montezuma County had a total of 9 suicides in 2023.
Southwest Health System has a list of resources for all types of issues on their website, both local and national. One listed resource is the Piñon Project Family Resource Center, which has a few youth suicide prevention resources listed on their website, including the Regional Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator.
Woods also mentioned virtual counseling services available, as well as private clinicians and licensed social workers or family counselors. The Second Wind Fund is also a resource based in Denver that supports at-risk youths ages 19 and under by matching them with licensed therapists, according to their website. The program accepts youths who are on Medicaid, CHP+ or have private insurance that supports mental health treatment. The goal is to narrow down a list of mental health providers to avoid confusing health care systems.
The Suicide Awareness For Everyone coalition and its partners in the community offer a 90-minute training program called Question, Persuade, Refer that is open to anybody free of charge. The goal of the training is to educate people to recognize the signs of suicidality and how to engage with them and connect them with resources, according to Woods.
Most recently, the Dolores Fire Protection District participated in the training. Other trainings have been held at public libraries, and Southwest Health System has sponsored several of those trainings, according to Woods.
Additionally, RISE Southwest, Hospice of Montezuma and the Grief Center of Southwest Colorado are partnering to host a six-week suicide attempt survivors support group, which will be facilitated by a peer and a therapist. O’Connor will be the peer support specialist for the pilot group.
The group is designed to help participants share their experiences, build resilience, gain skills and connect with others along the path to recovery, according to the flyer for the event. The in-person meetings will be held in Cortez on Tuesdays from 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. starting Sept. 24 and ending Oct. 29.
The organizers hope to continue holding this group in 2025, and will make adjustments as necessary to ensure that the group is a helpful resource for as many people as possible.
“It's not necessarily like a one and done, even though, for some people, they may obtain the skills they need to help them kind of when they're getting deregulated, but certainly anybody would be welcome to reattend the group in the future,” Woods said.
One of the biggest goals of holding this walk and highlighting resources it to break the stigma around suicide and suicidal thoughts.
“I think that it is so important that the stigma surrounding suicidal ideation or attempts or even completion be broken because it's it's a very hushed topic,” O’Connor said. “People don't want to hear about it. A lot of people don't want to talk about it. A lot of people feel ashamed, and a lot of people are made to feel ashamed.”
O’Connor shared that she has young children, and it’s important to her to talk about mental health and let children know that it is normal to struggle, and there are resources to help those struggling through their tough times.
“I think that the more that the grownups in this world become more comfortable talking about it and normalizing it, and finding ways to make it safe to talk about and seek help for, then children will grow into that as well and not feel like they have to stuff it down until they just can't handle it anymore,” O’Connor said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, there are 24/7 helplines available. The national suicide helpline can be reached by texting or dialing 988. The Colorado Crisis and Support line can be reached at 1-800-493-8255 or by texting TALK to 38255. The 24/7 Axis Care line can be reached at (970) 247-5245. In life-threatening situations, contact 911.
