‘Please Just Stay’ suicide awareness initiative wraps up
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POCATELLO – Suicide Prevention Month has wrapped up, but nonprofit Hope Rides is determined to reduce suicide year-round.
Last year, Bannock County Coroner Torey Danner started the suicide prevention initiative called “Please Just Stay.”
“What I realized about suicide prevention is you got a bunch of resources out there, but not a lot of people know about them,” Danner said.
As a coroner, Danner is all too familiar with suicide, so he wanted to spread awareness and resources to people in crisis, family members of those in crisis, and providers. Danner worked with the nonprofit Hope Rides to create a one-stop-shop website with resources.
“There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, right?” Danner said. “Everybody has different issues or things that they’re going through, so we want to be able to put out there as many resources as possible so that people have an opportunity to find help.”
This year, Hope Rides led a reader board sign campaign for September, Suicide Awareness Month. Local businesses throughout Pocatello put up the phrase, “Please Just Stay” on their reader boards.
“We wanted those who were driving through the community to look up as they drove through Yellowstone or around any of the businesses and see ‘Please Just Stay,’” Danner said. “They could see that the community supports them as well.”
Hope Rides Executive Director Victoria Byrd says Bannock County has the highest rate of suicide in Idaho, and healthcare professionals should not be the only ones working to reduce it.
“If we’re going to make any headway in reducing our suicide rates, it has to be something that is done collectively,” Byrd said.
Byrd and Danner say this year’s campaign has been extremely successful, and has led to a lot of partnerships with suicide prevention resource providers. In addition, people from around the country have contacted Byrd about incorporating Please Just Stay into their communities.
While Suicide Prevention Month is coming to a close, the effort is ongoing. Next year, Hope Rides plans to spread the campaign to the surrounding counties.
“As the coroner, this is something that I see, tragically, far too often,” Danner said. “My job is very reactive, so to be able to take a proactive role and do something to support our community and to grow something as important as this, it was a huge thing for me.”
To get involved or view local resources, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.