County commissioners intend to fully fund budget requests from Teton County nonprofits that provide senior care, shelter for teens in crisis and subsidized mental health care, among other services.
âI think thatâs great,â said Deidre Ashley, executive director of the Jackson Hole Community Counseling Center, one of the nonprofits set to receive its full request for the upcoming fiscal year.
Ashley serves on the Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers, a state association with directors from other Wyoming community mental health centers like the Community Counseling Center. She said that Jackson and Teton County âby far are the most supportiveâ local governments in the Equality State.
At night the girlâs feelings of loneliness and isolation often intensify.
Shore begins her calls by ensuring the girl is in a safe place. Then she asks the grandparents about lethal means. In Wyoming, 75% of suicides involve a firearm, though medications and ropes also carry a risk.
More than anything, she encourages the couple to talk with their granddaughter openly and honestly about her suicidal thoughts.
âThey need someone to reach in, because itâs hard for them to be able to reach out,â Shore said.
Through therapy and positive coping techniques, that family now has a path to recovery. Shore feels momentary relief, but also a lingering sadness.
Jackson Holeâs cost of living is putting up a roadblock for Teton County nonprofits that provide senior care, shelter for teens in crisis and subsidized mental health care, among other services.
âOur budget is . almost entirely salaries and benefits,â Patti Boyd, executive director of the Childrenâs Learning Center, told the Jackson Town Council and Teton County Board of County Commissioners during a day of budget meetings Thursday. âWhen we canât keep up with even the hourly rate that places like our new grocery store or our upcoming REI store can offer people, weâre in danger of losing really good people.â
Social service providers worry that a new law limiting state funding for mental health services and substance use treatment to seven âpriority populationsâ will limit access for the general public at a time when mental health needs have skyrocketed.
Gov. Mark Gordon signed House Bill 38 into law last week, though it isnât slated to go into effect until July 2022.
Currently, Wyoming has an open access care model, which allows members of the general public to access mental health services regardless of ability to pay. Under the new priority system, counseling centers may have to start turning clients away.
âItâs important to provide services to the people in greatest need first,â Rep. Sue Wilson (R-Laramie) told the News&Guide. âWe hadnât really identified how to do that.â
The Wyoming Department of Health is offering free suicide prevention training to employers and their employees across the state.
In 2019, Wyomingâs suicide rate was the highest in the U.S. and almost twice the national average, according to the American Association of Suicidology.
âWyoming unfortunately has historically high suicide rates and, on average, one Wyoming resident dies by suicide every two days,â Lindsay Martin, the Health Departmentâs Injury and Violence Prevention Program manager, said in a press release.
The free online training offered to employers for their employees is called âQuestion, Persuade and Refer.â Among other things, it covers how to âquestion, persuade and referâ someone who might be suicidal, what the causes of suicidal behavior are, how to recognize the warning signs and how to get help.