Though Gov. Mark Gordon picked a lecture hall at Northwest College for his Wednesday Town Hall meeting focused on mental health issues — from funding to collaboration with local organizations — his presentation was far from instructional.

Instead, Gordon spoke from the heart and invited state and local officials, volunteers and members of the public to share their experiences, both with the state’s new 988 crisis lifeline and developing other programs to help reverse Wyoming’s trend of having one of the highest suicide rates in the country.

For many years Wyoming’s rate of suicide has been nearly double the national average. Gordon spoke about recent suicides that have shocked his family; two students in his daughter’s class and a local minister’s son, who was in the military and had just become a new father. You could feel his anguish as he spoke.

“It just doesn't make sense. The families are devastated. The friends are devastated,” he said.

Gordon brought three top officials along for the event. In tow were Stefan Johansson, director of the Wyoming Department of Health, Korin Schmidt, director of Family Services, and Jen Davis, senior health and human services policy adviser in the governor's office. While the public was invited to the event, the more than 50 in attendance on the cold morning were largely representatives for local organizations working with Park County residents in crisis.

Also in attendance were state Sen. Dan Laursen (R-Powell) and Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams (R-Cody) — seated together near the front of the hall. Rodriguez-Williams was a proponent of the 988 bill (HB0065), voting for funding it with a $6 million state trust fund despite opposition to the program by the Freedom Caucus.

Laursen wasn’t opposed to the idea of a crisis lifeline, but thought it was premature for the state to start its own lifeline when there were still federal dollars earmarked for 988, though the calls wouldn’t be answered by people in Wyoming under the federal program.

“There was plenty of money still remaining to fund the program through this biennium and the dollars came from the federal government. I did not believe there was need for more money,” he said after the meeting in an email exchange.

At the same time, Laursen isn’t a fan of the federal programs being pitched to the states because “there are always strings attached,” he said, adding often the feds start programs, states join in and then the federal funding dries up and states are stuck paying for the program.

Wyoming was the only state without a suicide lifeline call center until 2020, when the Legislature appropriated $400,000 to launch one. Previously, out-of-state suicide call centers picked up all calls from Wyoming. The new $6 million funding bill was passed earlier this year, but only after the Legislature rejected putting $46 million in an endowment to run the program in perpetuity.

Sen. Tim French (R-Powell) also voted against the legislation, though he couldn’t be reached by the Tribune’s deadline. There were concerns at the time that the program would actually work, as well as concerns about the expense.

But the lifeline seems to be working, bringing in more than twice the number of calls last year than the previous system. According to data from the Wyoming Department of Health, since the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline went into effect last year, Wyoming crisis workers have taken more than 4,200 calls. Of those calls, 99.8% did not require law enforcement or EMS intervention. In the year prior to 988, there were about 1,800 calls answered.

Officials attribute the dramatic increase to publicity and the simplified, easy-to-remember number.

“These statistics are very encouraging,” Gov. Mark Gordon said. “The fact we are receiving more calls reflects the importance of this service — and the fact that the vast majority are handled without having to rely on law enforcement or EMS underscores the effectiveness and value of the lifeline. Wyoming is taking some positive steps in addressing the issue of suicide, but there is more work to be done.”

In a report by WyoFile in September, for the first time since 2017, Wyoming likely no longer has the nation’s highest suicide rate.

“Death investigations can take time and the rates could change, but as it stands, Montana likely tops the list,” the nonprofit news organization reported.

Using data from state health departments and the Census Bureau, WyoFile calculated that Montana’s suicide rate was 28.67 per 100,000 residents last year, Alaska’s rate was 26.7, and Wyoming’s was 26.66.

All three states recorded rates above 30 the year before.

Rep. David Northrup (R-Powell) hopes, now that there is evidence the program is working well, that the Legislature will repeal the sunset and fully fund the program.

“Creating an endowment is a way to have a conservative budget; to have the program paid for through savings,” Northrup said.

Wyoming has yet to commit to permanently funding the relatively new 988 crisis lifeline, placing a sunset date on the program in 2028. Gordon felt strongly that residents in crisis should be able to speak to someone who understands the Wyoming way and hopes the early successes of the program helps to persuade leaders in the statehouse to support it no matter how they voted before its inception.

One of the benefits of the group, Northrup said, is the help the crisis lifeline is extending to veterans.

“People just want to reach out to someone who cares,” he said. “Anything we can do to reduce suicide is worth a try.”

Gordon tried hard to not point fingers at those who were in opposition to the lifeline.

“We’ve had legislators who have voted for and some that have voted against funding the 988 number. I hope they all now understand the importance of making sure they support that 988 number, because that is often that call, when there's somebody in crisis, that can make a difference between whether a dad comes home, whether a family is left whole, or whether their mom may have an issue,” Gordon said.

He said limited resources are holding back agencies and non-profit organizations from doing more. He said everyone in the room knows the struggle with resources.

“We wish we had more resources. We are trying to do the best that we can with the resources we have,” he said. “Unfortunately, we'd love to be able to pick up people before they end up in crisis, and sometimes we cannot. So having that ability to respond in crisis is key. But I think also — and that's part of what today is about — being able to understand where the challenges are coming, from being neighborly helping people that is absolutely, absolutely critical.”

Gov. Gordon pledged to continue to work on solutions to improve mental health care in Wyoming. To further explore community perspectives on this important issue, he launched the series of Town Hall events, which started with the visits last week to Powell and Worland. 

“These important face-to-face conversations are intended to see how we can be most effective in making a difference for those who are struggling,” he said.

Gordon is prioritizing improving access to mental health resources. The Health Care Task Force is working to identify barriers, opportunities, and gaps in the network of mental health and substance abuse care in the state. The Town Halls are an opportunity to hear from local communities with firsthand experience of this issue. Additional Town Halls will be announced in the near future. 

The Firearms Research Center at the University of Wyoming will host a “Firearms and Mental Health: Fostering Understanding, Safety and Support” conference Thursday and Friday, Nov. 16-17, in Laramie.

Organized in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Health, Cheyenne Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and Walk the Talk America, the two-day summit will bring together mental health practitioners, firearms experts, academics, lawyers and community leaders to discuss a series of topics like safe storage, mental health and firearms, and suicide awareness and prevention.

The conference is free and open to the public. In addition to panel discussions and keynote speakers, there will be a Town Hall meeting and a gun safety training at a local gun range.