Friday, April 7 is World Health Day, a day to increase awareness about health issues impacting people across the globe. While the focus of World Health Day is global, we would like to highlight a national and local public health issue–fentanyl and the opioid overdose crisis–and a new local campaign working to address it in Nevada County.

The Outstanding Women of Clinton County committee has selected four scholarship winners from the 2023 high school senior class. They are: Emma Falgner of Blanchester; Jenna Hanlon of Clinton-Massie; Ryleigh Tooill of East Clinton; and Jenna Allemang of Wilmington.

Learn about opioids, fentanyl, signs of an overdose, and how to use Narcan at the next meeting of the Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids (TASK). They will be meeting on Thursday, March 16 at 3:30 p.m. in the South Tahoe High School Student Union meeting room.

The Speedy Foundation expresses gratitude for it’s loyal donors following Amazon’s announcement of its cancellation of the AmazonSmile nonprofit donation program.

“Although 90 percent of suicides are completed by someone with a mental illness, suicide isn’t always connected to a mental health struggle,” Decker said. Sometimes the causes are situational – bankruptcy, divorce, legal ramifications or job loss.

One source of protection for all people, whether or not they have mental illness, can be a faith community, she said. “The Church could be a protective factor if it is a place that is welcoming and forgiving, where people feel that they belong and have a sense of purpose,” Decker said.

The Speedy Foundation is so excited and honored to announce our partnership with Hannah Menzner, the newly crowned Miss Idaho USA. Her deep passion for mental health stemmed from her experience volunteering for a crisis hotline, and she has since founded Project IdaHOPE to teach Idahoans to spot suicide warning signs and risk factors. We look forward to working alongside her as she continues her campaign for suicide awareness, and can’t wait to see the wonderful things she has in store this year!

According to CDC data, mountain destination mecca Wyoming has the highest suicide mortality rate in the country. Since 2015, states in the Interior West—Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho—have all also consistently ranked in the top ten for suicide death. The data is so marked that the Rocky Mountain states have been dubbed “the Suicide Belt.”

Why? The reasons are complicated and multifold.

There is the horrific shock of losing a loved one so suddenly which, just of itself, can bring us to our knees; but, with suicide, there are other soul-wrenching feelings too, confusion, guilt, second-guessing, religious anxiety. Where did we fail this person? What might we still have done? What should we have noticed? What is this person’s state with God?

Understanding why a person kills him or herself seems essential to preventing suicide, but the causes of suicide are as unique as individuals. Misconceptions include that a person chooses suicide out of weakness and selfishness with a well-thought out plan.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today formally announced the formation and membership of an external Mental Health Taskforce to support Team USA athletes – and the coaches, officials and administrators who serve them – address mental health concerns and promote sustained and holistic well-being throughout their complete athlete journey.

Shannon Decker is the Executive Director of the Speedy Foundation and the Idaho Suicide Prevention Coalition. The Speedy Foundation was started in 2011 in memory of Shannon’s cousin, Olympic Freestyle skier and three time Olympian, Jeret Peterson. Jeret died a year after the Vancouver Olympics in which he had taken home a silver medal for USA.

The #Morning Mix returns this week after its 2-week Sundance hiatus with musical guest Shannon Runyon performing live in the Swede Alley studio, plus guest interviews with Shannon Decker, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Speedy Foundation, and with Aaron Benward, Creator and Producer of ‘Nashville Unplugged, The Story Behind The Song’, a listening room experience happening at The Rockwell Room on Valentines Day. These guests and a rundown of events happening in our area on The Morning Mix.

The Boise Police Department is proud to release the 2018 Report to Our Citizens. This report includes data from fiscal year 2018 and stories about some of our major initiatives and projects in 2018. You can download a copy by clicking on the photo below or pick up a copy at our police department 333 N. Mark Stall Place.

I have learned that tools for coping with my illness have come and gone and I know it will be ok. I still have setbacks and I have a recovery plan that I have shared with my therapist and my children so they can help me when I can’t remember why I am here and what tools I have.