All 18 of Salt Lake County's elected leaders signed a joint proclamation Wednesday, Sept. 2, declaring September 2026 Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson called for the joint effort, according to a news release published by Utah Policy. Wilson credited County Treasurer Sheila Srivastava with organizing the countywide recognition and gathering support from every elected office.

"So many families in Salt Lake County have been impacted by suicide," Wilson said. "Signing this proclamation together tells residents that they are not alone and that this county will keep standing behind the services that keep people safe."

The proclamation cites 2024 data showing Utah lost 665 residents to suicide that year, nearly two deaths per day. The state's suicide rate of 19.5 per 100,000 residents ranks seventh highest in the nation. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Utahns ages 10 to 44.

Nearly 23 percent of Utah high school students have seriously considered suicide, 18.5 percent have made a plan and 9 percent have attempted it, according to the proclamation.

The signers include Salt Lake County Council Chair Aimee Winder Newton, who represents the Sandy area. In an April 2025 op-ed in the Sandy Journal, Winder Newton shared that nine years earlier her adult son told her he wanted to end his life. She did not know where to turn. She went on to advocate for county behavioral health investment, including the 988 crisis line and the Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental Health Crisis Care Center.

That center, at 955 West 3300 South in South Salt Lake, opened March 31, 2025, and provides 24/7 walk-in crisis care for adults 18 and older regardless of ability to pay, according to Huntsman Mental Health Institute. The center can be reached at (801) 538-2500.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Utah Chapter hosts a free Out of the Darkness Community Walk on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Veterans Memorial Park in West Jordan. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 9:30 a.m. Registration is available at afspwalks.donordrive.com/SLC.

How to get help: The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support around the clock. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Salt Lake County Behavioral Health Division can be reached at (385) 468-4707.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.