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The information provided below comes from the Church Newsroom.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has donated $150,000 to a suicide awareness and prevention campaign. With their help, the funds for the campaign have now reached $2 million, announced Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox at a news conference Monday.
The Church’s donation is joined by funds from a variety of healthcare, business, and community groups, including the Utah Legislature, Intermountain Healthcare, University of Utah Health.
“We hope this campaign will advance and modify attitudes and social norms to demonstrably reduce suffering and save lives,” said Cox, adding that the campaign will launch in mid-2020.
Elder Craig C. Christensen, General Authority Seventy and president of the Utah Area, represented the Church at the news conference and is one of several high-level Church leaders who have taken part in the governor’s suicide prevention task force.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is grateful to be a part of this important effort,” said Elder Christensen. “It is a blessing to work closely with dedicated public servants, other faith leaders, healthcare professionals, business leaders, and, especially, with survivors all coming together to share messages of hope and an expression of love for those who are struggling.”
The Church’s donation to this campaign matches its previous donation to the governor’s suicide prevention fund in 2018.
Participants in Monday’s news conference, which was held at the Utah State Capitol, expressed concern over the suicide rate in their state and across the nation. They also expressed optimism that this new campaign will help publicize the resources and services available to help those at risk.
“We hope, with the resources and the campaign like this, we will help Utahns get the brain, behavioral, and mental health support they need, just a call or a click away,” said Dr. Michael Good, CEO of University of Utah Health. “We are proud to see this campaign launch and move forward.”
“Most Utahns are now aware of this issue and feel a sense of urgency to do something. As a community of partners, our aspiration to impact this is equally bold,” said Mikelle Moore, senior vice president at Intermountain Healthcare. “We now shift our work from messaging of awareness to messaging of action, and we can make an impact.”
For those seeking help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also provides suicide prevention resources at Suicide.ChurchOfJesusChrist.org.
