KEMMERER — Gov. Mark Gordon visited Kemmerer on Thursday, May 22, to participate in a “WY We Care” mental health summit. The event offered an opportunity to present Lincoln County residents with information about the current status of suicide and suicide attempt rates, both locally and statewide, and introduced initiatives for prevention. 

Joining Gordon on the speaker panel were Lincoln County ATODS (alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and suicide) Prevention Director Brittany Ritter, CPS, BSN and RN; Dr. Kent Corso, PSYD, BCBA-D and founder of the PROSPER Project initiative; Director of Pharmacy Services Lexie Scherr PharmaD and BCACP; suicide survivor Malorie Bishop of Kemmerer; former state senator and retired firefighter Fred Baldwin PA-C; and Barbara Merritt LCSW, HS and MS counselor.

Bishop, a longtime Kemmerer resident, lost her husband Derrick to suicide in 2020.

“I will have to live with that grief every day for the rest of my life,” she said.

Bishop, then the mother of two small children, told attendees that she later learned that Derrick’s suicide was the fourth in Lincoln County that day.

She said that, as a nurse, she hadn’t seen the signs until a month prior when he confessed to have endured suicidal ideations since he was 11 years old.

“It’s the people who don’t talk about it ... that hold it all together,” she said.

“You matter. You’re enough,” Bishop imparted to the audience. 

“The grief process is so different when you’ve lost someone to suicide than when you lose someone to other causes,” Corso said. 

Gordon said, “We have far too much suicide in Wyoming,” segueing into state suicide statistics. “Every one of those ... is incredibly devastating to the community, to the family.”

Ritter said that, “percentage wise, we have a very high suicide rate... We have never been out of the top three, historically.”

“Wyoming has been No. 1,” Baldwin said. “That fluctuates year to year between the rural states ... but Wyoming has been set at No. 1 for a long time.”

According to Corso, Wyoming suicide rates were the nation’s highest the past four out of five years.

For every man who attempts suicide, four to five women attempt suicide, Ritter explained; however, for every one woman that completes the act, four men do.

The vast majority of attempt survivors will not re-attempt, Corso said.

“Suicide is a social issue,” He said. “12.4 million people think about it every year [and] 3% of them will attempt... Seven percent will die, but 70% of people who lived will not attempt again.”

Gordon said that, while suicide is of utmost concern across the state, “there are so many good efforts coming together, they are making a difference.”

Last fall, the Wyoming state legislature revised the Good Samaritan Law, which legally protects citizens and first responders who intervene during a mental health episode as long as they’re acting in good will. 

“Wyoming is now the second state to include in the law that mental health or emotional emergencies like suicide are just as urgent and legitimate as a physical emergency,” Corso said.

Star Valley school psychiatrist Merritt said that previous suicide assessments weren’t efficient or accurate. Citing sterility of previous options, Merritt said that it was difficult to build a rapport. Hospitalizations were also over abundant.

With the help of Ritter’s office and Corso’s suicide prevention, intervention and postvention PROSPER Project, “I’ve been working really hard to help change how we’re addressing suicide,” Merritt said. “What we’re seeing is more people willing to reach out ... largely due to the change in using the PROSPER suicide assessment ... it’s very usable.”

Merritt said decreased hospitalizations and enhanced trust between providers and patients is proof that the system is working.

Ritter offered more localized data for Lincoln County up to 2023.

“We are making great strides,” she said. “In 2019 to 2020, we had 18 suicide completions… The following years, 2021-2022, we had seven. That’s a 60% reduction.”

“I know that we’re continuing with that movement ... I’ve seen the numbers,” Ritter said, crediting openly talking about the subject in school and industries.

“I will tell you that all of Wyoming government has been really focused on this issue,” Gordon said. “You are all making the difference; that’s incredibly encouraging.”

Merritt said continued education should be a top priority. She also personally thanked the governor for approving more training through the Jason Flatt Act — a statute which Wyoming adopted into legislation in 2014 and allows for educators to receive in-service training for youth suicide awareness and prevention. 

Baldwin suggested the audience view the Wyoming PBS series “State of Mind” as another valuable resource.

“It touches on mental health and it touches on suicide, and it’s all very good,” he said.

Corso wholeheartedly agreed with the suggestion with parents sharing the series with their child beginning about the age of 10.

“Prescreen them (the episodes) as a parent ... it helps send the right message,” Corso said. “I think it’s perfectly appropriate for teenagers to watch ... it is a very well-done documentary that examines the problem then shows how many, many kids have gotten help.”

“I think we go forward being more communicative with this,” Scherr said. “The more we talk about it, the less awkward it is.”

Former firefighter Baldwin highlighted the increased risks of suicide among first responders.

“Talk it out, get through things they’ve seen,” he said.  “We need to do more, but we’re headed in that direction.”

Kemmerer sports and fitness coach Alec Rudy said, “I’ve seen firsthand the power of movement,” before asking about the correlation between physical and mental health. Corso responded that there is “good research that movement boosts mood and releases depression ... it boosts energy, concentration and motivation. I think those are precursors that go down when someone thinks about taking their life.”

Corso also highlighted the power of terminology. If the language around suicide changes, the behavior will follow. 

He suggested that people avoid using the word “committed” when discussing suicide. “When you use the word ‘commit,’ it’s very judgement-laden ... [such as] ‘committing a sin’ or ‘committing a crime.”

Lincoln County Deputy Attorney Kelly Blue said that she manages cases regarding involuntary hospitalizations.

“I am seeing an uptick in Lincoln County of the number of people that we see; I’m hoping that means that more people are asking for help,” Blue said.

Blue highlighted positive takeaways to her increased caseload before stating that “the frustration part of it is ... we are 45 minutes away from the state hospital [in Evanston] and we send our patients to WBI (Wyoming Behavioral Institute) in Casper because the state hospital refuses them.”

Blue said that she’s been trying to work with officials in Uinta County to problem solve.

“We don’t have the resources in Kemmerer ... we have a large county, many of our patients are being transported by law enforcement to sit in the jail in a separate room,” which requires additional supervision to prevent harm to themselves and/or others.

“I know that most of the state is dealing with this issue,” Blue continued. “The State Hospital ... was formed by the Constitution and exists to serve these people and they have now changed their format and don’t take patients for more than 90 days, even though we know that they have patients over there who have been there more than 20 years.”

Gordon responded, saying, “One of the biggest problems we have is staffing at the state hospital, and also the life resource center and WBI ... We’ll continue to work on it.”

Merritt said it’s important to find creative solutions where resources are lacking. Corso said that hospitalizations are due to “fear-based actions and practices.” 

According to Corso, retention of autonomy and integrity through more holistic approaches should be prioritized. Both Corso and Scherr noted the 72-hour window that, if social and support connectivity is achieved, suicide can be prevented

“We can help our people in 72 hours. I will come and sit with you at your house, and we can watch movies for 72 hours. I’ll bring snacks!” Scherr said. “It really does just take some heart and some courage to be vulnerable.”

“Everyday citizens don’t realize that they could be playing an important role,” Corso sai.  “You’re teaching them how to engage their social support system.”

The panelists also highlighted the 988 hotline. The governor thanked Baldwin for his leadership in changing the 988 system to become more Wyoming-based. 

Veterans Service Officer (VSO) Nancy Stafford, who often works with clientele dealing with suicidal ideations, said, “Please, do not pass them off ... don’t ignore it, stay with them.”

Two suicide attempt survivors also spoke up.

“The more I speak up, the easier it gets,” one woman said, “the more love I feel, and the more supported I feel.”   

The other survivor inquired about interventions for LGBTQ youth or other marginalized populations in Wyoming. Merritt fielded the inquiry by again promoting PROSPER Project.

“[It] really, truly is the most usable format I’ve been able to find for diverse populations because it’s putting it in their hands and letting them develop their own plan,” he said.

A TerraPower plant manager inquired whether 988 was sufficient enough prevention training for his colleagues. Corso said that any suggestion is better than no suggestion.

“It’s been great to see how industry has stepped up,” Gordon said of the Wyoming Business Alliance. “There is a lot of support there.”

Ritter invited attendees, industry leaders, healthcare facilities, educational entities and any/all other agencies to access PROSPER Project training for any interested party. “Implementing PROSPER gives autonomy to those people that are in crisis,” she said. “It gives us the tools we need to help somebody so that we don’t have to always rely on those things we don’t necessarily have.”

Program information can be found at: PROSPERtogether.net.

“If we have common ground with people, it helps us feel more stable, secure and safe,” Corso said.