Hello family members, tribal members, community members. I hope you are well and staying cool in this heat. It's a beautiful day, but just remember to stay hydrated and make sure you're reaching out to family members if you need help. I wanted to jump on really quick and talk about July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month; raising awareness and helping to increase support to people who are disproportionately impacted by suicide and mental health issues is very important to me. Sadly, Oregon ranks as one of the worst in the nation, if not the worst, for mental health supports. We need to prioritize more funding in Oregon from mental health services, trauma-informed training for staff, teachers, and healthcare providers. As a field advocate for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for four years, now, I regularly write letters to our local delegates, our representatives, and our senators.
Your voice is important and your story matters. Remember if you can't see your legislators face-to-face, you still have the ability to have your voice heard by writing to those who represent you. Today marks the second anniversary of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline with dedicated crisis responders available 24-7. Since that launch in 2022, more than 10 million people have called in and received help from healthcare providers over a 24-7 hour period. You can also text and chat for help as well, and over a million of those calls were answered by Veterans Crisis Providers. So option number one when you call that 988 is specifically for veterans, which is wonderful. As we know, veterans also are disproportionately impacted by suicide, and we need to wrap our arms around them and love on them. So that is amazing that they have that new feature for veterans to have that very first option when you call in for their family members as well. So let's keep our eyes and our ears open to those around us who are needing support. You matter, your voice matters, and you are enough. So if you or anyone you know needs help, please call or text 988 or you can access the chat feature at 988lifeline.org.
Hayu masi, be well.