Suicide Prevention Awareness Walk set for Oct. 7

On average, one person in the state of Montana dies by suicide every 32 hours.

Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death, overall, in the state of Montana.

In Montana, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in people aged 45-to-54 and the second leading cause of death for people aged 10-to-44.

These stats are provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and are based on the most recent 2015 data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Reading about suicide for most people is easy. Talking about suicide, on the other hand, is sometimes harder and more uncomfortable for many.

“For the most part, people don’t want to talk about it,” Phillips County Nurse Jenny Tollefson said. “Yet there are people who have lost family members and friends and everyone else’s life moves on, but those who have lost people are like ‘has everyone forgotten?' We just want them to know that there is support available.”

Though Suicide Prevention Month comes to an end as September expires, a group of people in Phillips County are looking to spread awareness about the epidemic with a function slated for Saturday, October 7, at the first ever Phillips County Suicide Prevention Awareness Walk to be held in Malta that day.

Tollefson said there is no fee to participate in the Awareness Walk, but added that donations will be happily accepted and any money raised will be given to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) which has a Montana Chapter with the aim of having the money used locally to further the cause. Early Bird Registration for the walk will be held on Wednesday, September 27. The walk will start at 2 p.m. at Veteran’s Memorial Park on South 1st Street East, head west toward S. 5th Avenue West, wraparound to South 9th Street West, past the Hi-Line Retirement Center on the east side of town and back up toward the park via S. 2nd Street East.

Tollefson stressed that the event is a walk, not a run, and said that if people want to participate in the day, but don’t think they can complete the walk, they are encouraged to stay at the park during the event.

"People shouldn't be discouraged from coming to the event if they don't feel like they want to make the walk," Tollefson said.

Gina Lamb — of the Malta Boys and Girls Club – is one of several people who is helping put the event together for the first weekend of October as she has participated in several similar events around the state in the past.

"It's a time of reflection is how I see it," Lamb said. "I dedicate one day every year to those we have lost and those who are dealing with suicide. I do a lot of praying while I am walking. It's a way to honor those we lost, but also a time to count our blessings so we don't get into a depression because of the loss."

Tollefson said the day will start with an introduction before the walk begins. Once the walk is complete, people are encouraged to visit back at the park and enjoy a potluck meal.

"If anyone would like to bring a dish, they are welcome to, and if they want to know what to bring they can contact me, Jenny or any volunteer," Lamb said.

Lamb can be reached at 654-2378 or Tollefson at 654-2521. People who would like to volunteer to help along the walk route — over a three-mile stretch — are also encouraged to call Lamb or Tollefson.

The walk itself will be chaperoned be law enforcement and walkers are asked to stay to the side of the streets and on sidewalks when they are available.

Those who make a donation of $50 before the early bird registration (Wednesday, September 27) will receive a walk t-shirt. The idea of the walk stems from meetings Tollefson, Lamb, Phillips County Hospital and Clinic’s Ward VanWichen, members ot the Phillips County Coalition for Healthy Choices and others have been attending over the last several months. These meetings have led to training in local schools for teachers and staff and in the future will lead to classes for the students. Both Tollefson and Lamb feel that the first Phillips County Suicide Prevention Awareness Walk on October 7 will not be the last.

"We would like this to become an annual event," said Lamb.

"We have such limited mental health resources in Phillips County that we need to start somewhere," Tollefson added. "We would like to see the money stay local and the AFSP is a very good organization and they do keep the money local by having Montana chapters."

Half of the money raised during the event will stay in Montana while the other half will be used by the national AFSP for education on suicide prevention.