Denver Health will host a suicide prevention program at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the outside main entrance to the Federico F. Peña Southwest Family Health Center at 1339 S. Federal Blvd. in Denver.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness month.

Colorado has among the highest suicide rates in the nation.

In 2020, the suicide rate in Colorado was more than 1.5 times greater than the frequency nationally with suicides outnumbering deaths caused by motor vehicle crashes, unintentional poisoning, falls or homicide, according to state data.

Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death in the state in 2021 when 1,384 Coloradans lost their lives to suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Recognizing these somber statistics, Denver Health is hosting a prevention program for the community to remember those lost to suicide.

“This National Suicide Awareness Month we are reminded that suicide is preventable, and no one should go through a crisis alone,” Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said in a statement to kick off National Suicide Prevention Awareness month.

In 2021, roughly 12.3 million adults and 3.3 million teens in the U.S. had had serious suicidal thoughts, according to a federal survey on drug use and health.

Behavioral health experts and suicide survivors are among those expected to speak at the Denver Health event.

Food in Communities

The Denver Department of Public Health & Environment received a $2.4 million state grant over three years for its Food in Communities program.

“This funding makes it possible that our community is at the heart of our work in food access across Denver,” Bob McDonald, executive director and Denver’s Public Health Administrator, said in a press release.

“Collaborating with local agencies and community organizations allows us to explore innovative ways to address food access, food insecurity, and food equity in our neighborhoods.”

Formed in 2018, the Food In Communities program is a regional collaboration with policy councils, public health agencies and community-based organizations focused on equitable access to healthy and affordable food.

As many as one in three Coloradans experience food insecurity according to Hunger Free Colorado, a nonprofit organization that connects the hungry with food resources. One in five Colorado adults report regularly cutting back or skipping meals because of not having enough money to buy food. That’s roughly twice the national rate.

The state grant began in July 2023.

Click here to learn more about Food in Communities program.