Lake County designates September 2026 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

The Lake County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 15 proclaimed September 2026 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, endorsing outreach and local events to reduce stigma and expand connections to care. "Talking with somebody, or even asking somebody if they're thinking about killing themselves will not make them more likely to kill themselves," Elise Jones, director of Lake County Behavioral Health Services, told the board while sharing both professional and personal connections to suicide prevention and available resources.

Behavioral Health staff highlighted the 988 national crisis lifeline and a county mobile crisis line (number given in the meeting transcript as 18092075) available 24/7; staff also previewed a community recovery event and a suicide‑prevention event at Lower Lake Park on Sept. 25. Supervisors thanked staff for outreach and the board posed for a proclamation photo after adopting the item.