Children’s Hospital hosts a virtual town hall on suicide prevention

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and Children's Hospital is hosting a virtual town hall Wednesday to begin the important conversations about mental health in kids.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, suicide continues to be the leading cause of death in young people in Colorado.

Some of the topics set to be discussed at Wednesday's town hall will be:

• Suicidality – what to look for and when to come to an emergency department
• Mental health first-aid – what it is and how to ensure your family is prepared
• How to have bold conversations about mental health – why destigmatizing mental health is still important
• Advocacy efforts – since seeing our hospital and the U.S. Surgeon General declare emergencies for youth mental health, people are asking, “What can I do? What needs to be done?”
  • Zach Zaslow, director of Government Affairs, can speak on federal legislation and how national efforts will (and should) benefit communities across Colorado.

You can register for the event here.

The virtual town hall begins at 5:30 p.m. and lasts until 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.