The Narrative

On a number of occasions throughout this ongoing project, we have discussed the power time and space has in the scope of lethal means safety and suicide prevention; it is our bread and butter.

We have discussed the neuroscience of how de-escalation works, and how the prefrontal cortex and thinking areas of the brain need time to catch up to the emotional centers of the brain in crisis. We have even discussed preventative measures such as cable locks, and how integrating such devices allows for distance between an individual and a potential lethal means of suicide.

I would like to expand the scope of this concept, however, to community and or systematic level. How do we literally buy time on an infrastructural scale?

While it may not always be visible, significant resources are invested at the federal, state, and county levels to promote community wellness and safety. Many grant programs dually exist to support these efforts, and this ongoing newsletter is one such initiative—designed to foster public health through awareness, connection, and prevention.

But I challenge us all to look beyond the life of a particular grant cycle or a specific allocation of state funds and look at what we haven’t done yet or are beginning to do now to buy time where there is still time to be bought.

Voluntary & temporary out of home storage programs

One of the endless ideas that are in the works nation wide is integrating locations in which individuals can voluntarily and temporarily store their firearms, creating physical space in times when it is needed most. This is time intentionally bought for those experiencing suicidality so safety can remain a priority whilst ones rights to own a firearm are not infringed upon.  

Narcan Kiosks

Implemented throughout Mesa County and available to all residents are Narcan Kiosks: intentionally placed stations where individuals can go and pick up free Narcan (an opioid receptor antagonist) and stay safe amid the ongoing fentanyl crisis. Narcan buys time for individuals who are suffering from an opioid overdose, allowing for emergency services to intervene. This is time intentionally bought amid a context that can turn drug experimentation driven by escapism into tragic death.

The Culmination

On the collective scale of suicide prevention and lethal means safety, it is our job to buy others time. Infrastructurally, this may look like one of the initiatives previously listed. Socially, this may look like fostering a place of belonging, so that no one feels alone. Educationally, this may look like creating more awareness and educating more on best practices so we all have the tools that we need.

As part of this effort to buy people time, I want to invite you all to a virtual lunch and learn that I have the honor and privilege of cohosting with the Mesa County Opioid Response Group. In this educational briefing, we will be going over the Firearm and Opioid Response Training (FORT), where opioid response and firearm safety are dually discussed, as well as their intersection with one another. The aim of this training is to give individuals the critical information they need to keep themselves and those around them safe.

If we continue treating time as this life saving currency, we can continue thinking of innovative solutions to the issue of lethal means safety and suicide prevention. One solution may buy a few seconds in one area, another solution may buy a minute in another area, but it is when we converge all of our efforts and continue to work together as a community that the seconds add up, and lives are saved.

Local Initiatives and Involvements

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention 2025 EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN MESA COUNTY Register Here!

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST): September 18-19, November 6-7 This two-day workshop(16 hours) helps participants learn how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, providing a skilled intervention, and developing a safety plan to keep someone alive.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA): September 26, October 17, December 5 This eight (8) hour training teaches people how to recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges in adults, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate care.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (Youth MHFA): August 29 This Six and half (6.5) hour training for adults who regularly interact with people ages 12-18. It introduces common mental health challenges, typical adolescent development, and plan for how to help in crisis and non-crisis situations

Soul Shop™: October 2 This 90-minute workshop equips faith community leaders and other people of faith to train their congregations to minister to those impacted by suicidal desperation.

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, call or text 988. The National Suicide Hotline is staffed around the clock with certified members of the American Association of Suicidology. Or the Crisis Text Line, text CO to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from a secure online platform.