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September 21, 2009
For Immediate Release
For more information: J.C. Graham (801) 863-6073
University Marketing & Communications: Erin Spurgeon, (801) 863-6807
Written by: Alex Strickland (801) 863-6351
For five days in late September Utah Valley University will host a variety of speakers, screenings and activities to raise awareness about suicide, the second leading cause of death nationwide among college students.
In the last seven years, UVU has lost 13 students to suicide, according to J.C. Graham, the suicide prevention coordinator for UVU Student Health Services.
"In 2003 we lost eight students," she said. "That’s 400 percent of the national average."
Among those students in 2003 was Garrett Lee Smith, who died the day before his 22nd birthday. The Smith family was open about the cause of their son’s death and as a result received more than 10,000 letters from families across the country. That sparked the Smiths to support suicide prevention initiatives, culminating in 2004 when President George W. Bush signed the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act to provide federal grants to colleges around the country for suicide prevention programs. UVU received one of the grants in 2006.
The highlight of the suicide prevention week at UVU will be a presentation by Kevin Hines at noon on Sept. 23 in the Sorensen Student Center Grande Ballroom. Hines lived through his own suicide attempt in 2000 when he miraculously survived a plunge from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Now a public speaker and mental health advocate, Hines travels around the country telling his story of how he found mental wellness after his suicide attempt.
Other events during the week include panel discussions, a film about college depression and free depression screenings. All of the events are free and open to the public.
Health statistics indicate that Utah is particularly hard-hit by depression and suicide, with the state department of health reporting suicide rates higher than the national average in every age bracket. The most recent statistics available report that Utah had the seventh highest suicide rate between 2000 and 2004 and Utah’s rate of 14.34 suicides for every 100,000 residents is far above the national average of 10.81 per 100,000.
For more information on UVU’s student health programs, visit http://www.uvu.edu/studenthealth.
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