Headwaters Alliance for Suicide Prevention Receives Grant from MN Health Dept.

The Headwaters Alliance for Suicide Prevention, first established in 2005, recently received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Health for community-based suicide prevention.

Since COVID-19, it has been difficult for the group to build active membership back up, and they hope this grant can get events going again in the community. This group of individuals and agencies coordinate regional suicide prevention efforts with a mission of promoting healthy communities by eliminating suicide in the region through local involvement and advocacy.

Leaders of the group expressed how important a simple helping hand can be.

“It’s something I’m super passionate about as I lost my father to suicide. And [a group like this was] not something that was accessible for me during that time, and it’s something that I think should be accessible for anyone and everyone to join,” said April Miller, Beltrami County Suicide Prevention Coordinator. “When you yourself have those feelings or you lose someone to suicide, you just feel so alone. And I’ve been there, I’ve felt that and I don’t want people to be alone.”

The Headwaters Alliance for Suicide Prevention holds meetings once a month at the Bemidji Public Library. Their next one will be on Thursday, March 28 at 9 a.m.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health crisis or considering suicide, call the Suicide Crisis Lifeline at 988.