Big Sky Times

J.P. Gallagher, the chief executive of Butte, Montana, said in a statement this week that the community is taking action to address the problems it brings to the community.

According to a KPAX 8 report, the suicide crisis among youth was at its apex a decade ago, and while officials have made progress challenges, remain in the efforts to curb suicide, and Gallagher is stepping up on the front lines with a proclamation declaring it Suicide Prevention Week in Butte-Silver Bow. 

“We were losing too many young people due to suicide, so the community took action, so we created a community action plan at that time,” he said in a statement to the station. “We’ve got to continue to address the problems that suicide brings into our community."

Moreover, Cassandra Meixner, who has faced the struggles of mulling suicide since she was a youngster, noted that seeing people take an interest means a lot, telling KPAX 8 that knowing she wasn’t alone was important and that knowing “you’re not just losing your mind, that the sadness or the trauma is not acceptable and never should be, but there are ways to work through it."

Brittany Masters, Butte Cares Suicide Prevention specialist, told KPAX 8 she has a son who is a freshman and she couldn’t imagine living life without him, and it is important for issues of drug use and overdose to be discussed. 

Those issues, according to KPAX 8, will be addressed Thursday evening at the Butte Emergency Operations Center on Wynne Avenue.