Episode 86: Community Approaches to Suicide Prevention

The troubling issue of youth suicide has emerged as a top-level concern for the community of Brooks County, Texas. Located in far South Texas, Brooks is one of the most underserved regions in the state. Ranked next-to-last out of 242 Texas counties on overall health outcomes by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Brooks County has a 32 percent poverty rate amid a 90 percent Hispanic population. The month of September is Suicide Awareness Month. We're taking a look at suicide as a community-level problem, one that calls for community-level solutions. April Anzaldua, Project Director for the Behavioral and Health Outreach Leadership Development (BHOLD) Project, joins us for a discussion of the challenges and strengths of Brooks County youth in the context of her collaborative work. Related links: Reflections from the Working Together for Rural Well-being Seminar http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-rls-reflections Five Rural Counties on a Mental Health Mission http://hogg.utexas.edu/five-rural-counties Collaborative Approaches to Well-being in Rural Communities http://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/collaborative-approaches-well-being-rural-communities Understanding Rural Communities http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-mental-health-rural-communities