Commission proclaims September 'Promise to Live Month' to boost suicide-prevention outreach

The Utah County Commission adopted a resolution on Aug. 30 recognizing September as "Promise to Live Month" to promote suicide-prevention awareness and connect residents to available mental-health resources.

Chair (Speaker 1) read the resolution, which cites the 2019–2021 Utah age-adjusted suicide rate of 20.6 per 100,000 and an average of 648 suicides per year in that period, and notes that when adjusted by age Utah ranked 14th for highest suicide rate nationally. The resolution encourages county officials, organizations and residents to promote outreach, use resources such as the SafeUT app and the 988 crisis hotline, host community events and partner with local schools and businesses.

Commissioners discussed the importance of focusing on youth and reducing stigma. Speaker 5 described a local youth-council experience in Spanish Fork and said that some young people avoid conversations for fear of academic or administrative consequences. Speaker 4 said she was grateful for the measure and moved to adopt the resolution.

Speaker 5 seconded the motion. The commission voted unanimously, recorded as 3–0 in the transcript.

The resolution's implementation steps mentioned in the text include encouraging residents to register a "promise to live" at the initiative website and offering educational resources; the county record indicates staff and partners will promote the initiative locally.