Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, alongside suicide prevention advocates and other state officials, declared September as a month for suicide prevention and awareness on Wednesday. The proclamation, announced at the Capitol, reminds Utahns to watch over loved ones and highlights the 988 hotline as a resource for anyone needing to talk.
Lt. Gov. Henderson noted that 709 Utahns took their own lives in 2025. She stated that while barriers to getting help include a lack of resources, bystanders can intervene by staying alert for warning signs and knowing where to find assistance. Henderson emphasized that "a significant act of bravery is not only speaking up when we need help, but noticing and then acting when we see things in others."
Lindsay and Matt Albrecht shared their personal experience at the Capitol, speaking about Lindsay's brother, Quinn, of Holden, who took his life in 2024. They described Quinn as a dedicated father and husband, and a talented roper prominent in Utah’s rodeo community. Matt Albrecht, who lives with lifelong depression and suicidal ideation, recalled not realizing Quinn was in crisis at the time of his death. Looking back, he remembered Quinn saying about a month prior that he felt so poorly he almost came to Albrecht’s house. Matt now recognizes this conversation as Quinn reaching out for help. He reflected, "I didn’t say, ‘you’re welcome any time,’" and stated that going forward, he will commit to noticing the signs, speaking up, and making himself available to prevent suicide.
The national 988 lifeline has roots in Utah, according to Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy. He recalled making several unsuccessful attempts over a decade ago with former Utah Sen. Daniel Thatcher to establish a three-digit mental health crisis line. They subsequently brought their idea to Utah's congressional delegation, urging former Utah Rep. Chris Stewart and the late Sen. Orrin Hatch to champion the cause. The Federal Communications Commission and Congress officially established 988 as the national crisis line in 2020, with the resource launching nationwide in 2022.
At the news conference on Wednesday, Rep. Eliason joined other officials and advocates in writing messages of encouragement and support on blue sticky notes. These notes were posted to two panels forming a corner of a temporary room in the Capitol rotunda, a display intended to convey to Utahns that "we’re in your corner."
Eliason also referenced a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April, which reported nearly 4,400 fewer suicides among young adults and teenagers than had been predicted in the hotline’s first two-and-a-half years. He noted that Utah’s suicide rate has declined over the last decade and encouraged efforts to "keep this momentum going."
