September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to bring attention to suicide, encourage conversations about mental health and remind people that help is available. When people think about suicide prevention, they often imagine a visit to a crisis center or an emergency room. Those moments are important, but suicide prevention can begin much earlier. Sometimes it begins with a conversation that takes a little longer than expected. Sometimes it is a provider asking one more question, a therapist noticing a slight change, or a case manager simply remembering a patient’s name.

At Fourth Street Clinic, we work with people whose mental health is often just one part of a much more complicated picture. Housing instability, physical health concerns, substance use, trauma, grief and isolation can all negatively affect a person’s well-being. We believe one part of suicide prevention is making it easier for people to connect with care before they reach a crisis.

That is why patients can come to the clinic and talk to a therapist or psychiatric nurse – without having to schedule an appointment. For some people, that might mean getting support during a particularly difficult week. For others, it means building an ongoing relationship with a behavioral health provider, sometimes returning every week for years. That consistency matters because it gives people a place to turn not only when they are in crisis, but when they recognize that something is beginning to feel harder to manage.

Because our medical and behavioral health care services are integrated, a medical provider who recognizes a mental health concern can reach out directly to a therapist and connect the patient with support right away. Instead of sending a patient somewhere else or asking them to make another appointment and start over, the therapist can often meet the patient in the same exam room where they just saw their medical provider. Our medical and behavioral health teams also communicate throughout the day about shared patients, allowing us to respond to the whole person rather than treating physical health and mental health as separate parts of someone’s life.

For many of our patients, removing those extra steps can be especially important. Transportation, scheduling and other barriers can make accessing healthcare difficult. For someone experiencing trauma or significant stress, even walking into an unfamiliar healthcare setting can feel overwhelming. At Fourth Street Clinic, we strive to create an environment where patients feel known, respected and safe enough to begin a conversation about what they need. Meeting people where they are means recognizing that access is about more than getting through the door – it is also about creating a place where people feel comfortable coming back.

Sometimes, meeting people where they are means literally going to where they are. Our Medical Outreach Street Team travels throughout the Salt Lake Valley to connect with people who may not be able or ready to come into the clinic. Behavioral health care is part of that outreach, allowing our team to offer support and build relationships with people who may not otherwise be able to access care. The team goes to the places where people are living – from areas along the river, near the foothills and homeless encampments – to provide care and begin building relationships.

None of this means that every crisis can be prevented, or that a conversation, a therapy appointment, or a medical visit can solve everything a person is facing. Suicide is complex, and there are times when someone needs immediate crisis intervention. But prevention is also what happens in the days, weeks, months and years before that moment. It is asking the extra question. It is noticing when someone seems different. It is making it possible to come back next week. It is helping someone address the immediate problem that feels impossible today while continuing to work toward the larger challenges that brought them there.

Suicide prevention is not something that belongs only to mental health professionals or crisis responders. It can happen whenever we create opportunities for connection, notice when someone is struggling and help them find a path toward support. At Fourth Street Clinic, that work happens every day – in an exam room, at the front desk, through outreach, or on the mobile bus with someone who may not yet be ready to come through our doors.

Sometimes suicide prevention looks like crisis intervention. But sometimes it looks much quieter: a door that stays open, a person who keeps showing up, or someone willing to ask one more question. Those moments matter, too.

Written By: Meghan Fry, MA, CMHC, Behavioral Health Director

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or suicidal crisis, you don’t have to figure out what to do alone. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In Salt Lake County, 988 can also connect people with Huntsman Mental Health Institute’s Mobile Crisis Outreach Team for in-person crisis support.

Other Resources:
HMHI Crisis Care Center
Utah Suicide Prevention
NAMI Utah
The Sharing Place