Salt Lake County declared September as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month on Tuesday, Sept. 8, after a county employee spent eight years pushing for the recognition. The proclamation covers all county residents, including those in Cottonwood Heights and Holladay.

Ray Lancaster, a tax lien coordinator who has worked for Salt Lake County for nearly 35 years, began her campaign after her son died by suicide in January 2017, as the Deseret News first reported. He had struggled with depression and alcoholism and left behind two young children.

"I've been on a mission for eight years," Lancaster said, describing years of dead ends before the proclamation finally came together.

Utah has the second-highest percentage of adults living with mental illness at 29.9%, trailing only Oregon, according to the Utah Women and Leadership Project at Utah State University, as cited by the Holladay Journal. Cottonwood Heights hosted a free Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) suicide prevention training at City Hall in June 2025.

Lancaster connected with Salt Lake County Treasurer Sheila Srivastava in 2025 while passing out awareness bracelets at the county building. Srivastava, elected treasurer in 2024, had her own family's experience with crisis.

Her son witnessed his father's fatal heart attack at age 15 and carried the trauma silently for three years before telling a therapist he had a plan to take his own life. Srivastava checked him into an institution for 16 days. Ten years later, he is finishing a Ph.D. in philosophy.

When Lancaster first approached Srivastava, it was too late in the year to act on September recognition. As August 2026 arrived, Srivastava offered to promote awareness through her office. Lancaster pushed for the full county government to participate, so Srivastava invited Mayor Jenny Wilson and the Salt Lake County Council to join.

Wilson, the council and other elected officials signed the proclamation on Sept. 8. It encourages residents to learn warning signs, check on people who may be struggling and share the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Wilson grew emotional during the council meeting while reading the obituary of Colin Hilton, the 58-year-old CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, who died by suicide, according to his obituary.

Lancaster wears a tattoo on her wrist: a lotus flower, a semicolon (the national symbol for suicide awareness), a quill and her son's initial.

Warning signs of suicide, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), include talking about wanting to die or feeling hopeless, increasing use of alcohol or drugs, withdrawing from others and displaying extreme mood swings.

Crisis resources:

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
• Huntsman Mental Health Institute Crisis Line: 801-587-3000
• SafeUT Crisis Line: 833-372-3388
• Trevor Project Hotline (LGBTQ teens): 1-866-488-7386

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.