Sandy state Rep. Steve Eliason helped create the idea behind the national 988 mental health crisis line. A new study says that line may have saved thousands of young lives.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April found 4,372 fewer Americans ages 15 to 34 died by suicide than projected in the first two and a half years after 988 launched. That amounts to an 11% drop, according to STAT News.

The findings surfaced again Wednesday, Sept. 16, when Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson read a proclamation at the Utah Capitol declaring September a month of awareness for suicide prevention. Eliason, a Republican who has represented Sandy since 2011, spoke at the event and told the Utah News Dispatch the 988 lifeline originated in Utah.

More than a decade ago, Eliason and former state Sen. Daniel Thatcher made several attempts to pass legislation creating a three-digit mental health crisis number. When those efforts stalled, the pair brought the idea to Utah's congressional delegation, urging former U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart and the late U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch to carry it forward. The Federal Communications Commission and Congress established 988 in 2020, and the line went live nationwide in 2022.

The JAMA study, which covered July 2022 through December 2024, is observational and does not prove 988 caused the decline. But the researchers found that states with the biggest increases in answered 988 calls experienced the largest drops in suicide rates. The 10 states with the largest call-volume increases saw an average 18% reduction compared to projections, PBS reported.

In Utah, callers dialed 988 nearly 115,000 times in the last fiscal year, a 25% jump from the year before, according to Utah Business.

Henderson said 709 Utahns took their own lives in 2025.

A 2025 survey from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute found nearly 80% of Utah residents know someone who has died by suicide.

At the Capitol event, officials and advocates wrote messages of encouragement on blue sticky notes and posted them to two panels forming a corner of a partial, makeshift room in the rotunda. The display, created by Live On Utah and the Utah 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, carried the message "we're in your corner." The installation will travel to locations across Utah in the coming months.

Matt Albrecht, who lost his brother-in-law Quinn to suicide in 2024, spoke at the event about a conversation in which Quinn said he had been feeling so poorly he almost came to Albrecht's house. "I didn't say, 'you're welcome any time,'" Albrecht recalled. He now sees it as a moment when Quinn was reaching out for help.

Henderson urged Utahns to watch for warning signs, saying bravery means not only speaking up when you need help but noticing and acting when you see signs in others.

Sandy residents in crisis can walk in for immediate support at Intermountain Health's behavioral health access center at Alta View Hospital. Clint Thurgood, Intermountain's director of crisis services, said in a Sept. 10 Fox 13 segment that asking someone directly whether they are considering suicide can open the door to help.

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