Steamboat Pilot & Today

Routt County — The Suicide Crisis Intervention Lifeline group has not received some of the public financial support its members say they need to help prevent suicides locally.
Five people killed themselves in Routt County in 1999. The year before, seven local people committed suicide, which prompted residents to establish the crisis intervention group.
The Suicide Crisis Intervention Lifeline teaches suicide assessment and intervention skills such as knowing warning signs, what to do and how to get help.
Earlier this year, the county and the city each agreed to allocate $6,000 to the crisis intervention group, but the money from the county has yet to arrive.
"The money was approved in February," said Strnad, who was surprised to hear the money hadn't been sent. "(The Visiting Nurse Association) and (Coroner) Doug Allen were supposed to put together some pending paper work and that was it. I thought it had all been taken care of. There's no issue here, we just need to get this taken care of. I guess it's a processing problem."
The $12,000 in government contributions will cover about 60 percent of the SCIL's budgeted needs this year.
SCIL needs $20,000 annually to supplement overloaded community service programs, and is still actively looking for just less than $8,000.
Local residents can help SCIL get state funding by reminding their legislators to make suicide prevention a priority in northwestern Colorado, Birch said.
The money SCIL receives goes toward public education efforts. At this point, SCIL members have been teaching suicide prevention classes at Steamboat Springs High School on a volunteer basis, and teaching students peer-to-peer counseling skills.
SCIL members also have provided Routt County Communications and the sheriff's department with suicide-intervention training seminars.

To reach Bonnie Nadzam call 871-4205 or e-mail bnadzam@amigo.net