Live music, yellow balloons, and 20 different mental health organizations filled the downtown Walawála Plaza last Tuesday for a Suicide Prevention Walk. Hosted by the Walla Walla County Health Department and Reach Out, a community coalition for suicide prevention, the walk created a space for those affected by suicide to share their stories and spread awareness. 

Event organizer Cassidy Brewin handed out resources at the bright yellow-canopied Reach Out table. Brewin recently entered her position as the Senior Coordinator at the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health after founder Peggy Needham retired. 

“On average over the last 10 years, we’ve seen about 11 deaths by suicide per year,” Brewin said.

Suicide rates in rural communities tend to be higher than the state average, according to Brewin, and Walla Walla is no exception. 

Needham says she started Reach Out because of a 2017 suicide contagion. When Needham discovered Walla Walla County had little to offer to those struggling with suicide or those who have survived suicide, she pulled from her community to organize a suicide prevention coalition.

“A contagion happens when we have two or three suicides within a short period of time. They were youth. At that point, it was like, what are we doing?” Needham said.

The organization has since provided suicide prevention trainings, community events and worked to connect other mental health organizations to each other. In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, Reach Out is hosting two free suicide prevention trainings in the Walla Walla Public Library on September 17 and September 25. These events serve to prevent suicide through education and also work to foster community among survivors.  

“A key tenet within suicide prevention is finding connection,” Brewin said.

Before the walk proceeded down Alder Street, Brewin went on stage to say a few words, followed by Reach Out member and Community Resilience Initiative representative Becky Turner. 

“You are not alone. You cannot be replaced. We are here today to show our support for the survivors of suicide,” Turner said. 

Turner has been a member of Reach Out since it was founded. At her table, Turner explained the science behind trauma and delineated its connection to risk-taking behaviors like self harm. Turner has found that the traumas most insightful into maladaptive behavior are those that occur in childhood. 

“When we talk about ACES or ‘adverse childhood experiences,’” Turner said, “We’re generally referring to the 10 that were identified in the 1997 study: sexual abuse, neglect, things like that. What they discovered with the ACES study is, the more adverse childhood experiences you have, the more likely you are to adopt risky behavior, complete suicide, or experience an early death. Ultimately, adverse childhood experiences represent a public health crisis.” 

According to Turner, adverse childhood experiences proliferate in the Walla Walla community. 

“I have a hard time finding people with [an ACES] score of zero,” Turner said. 

Events like the walk aim to reframe the way we understand death by suicide, childhood trauma and risk-taking behavior from isolated incidents to interconnected events that seize communities so forcefully they are often likened to epidemics. 

“Most people don’t choose a life of crime, most people don’t choose to become addicted to heroin,” Turner said, “It usually is born out of seeking comfort or seeking community. The idea is to show them another idea of community.” 

Communities like the walk support more than just those who have survived suicide or are struggling with suicidal ideation.  

“There’s people here that have lost a son and they can talk about their son and say, ‘He died by suicide. It wasn’t my fault. I still love him. It’s my right to remember him.’ It’s very powerful to learn the language of suicide prevention and suicide loss,” Needham said.

As late afternoon took hold of the Walawála Plaza, a woman in a lime green vest led a group of people down the block.

“Community is the solution,” Turner said. “Your ACE score shows you your past, but resilience shows you your future.”