NAMI: Walk together for suicide prevention

For more than 15 years, the SPAN suicide prevention walk gave people in our community a place to gather, remember, grieve, and speak openly about something too often carried in silence. Sadly, that walk is no longer taking place. But the need it answered has not gone away — and in Kootenai County, that need remains personal and urgent.

Suicide remains a major public health concern. In 2024, 48,824 Americans died by suicide, and the national suicide rate was 13.7 per 100,000 people. Idaho continues to rank among states with higher suicide rates. Local public profiles for Kootenai County, using pooled 2019–2023 data or state fallback comparisons, point to about 21.9 deaths per 100,000 people. That number represents families, friends, coworkers, classmates, veterans, neighbors, and loved ones whose lives matter beyond measure.

That is why the upcoming NAMI Cd’A Walk matters. It is about suicide awareness, but also about mental health, hope, compassion, and connection. Prevention belongs to all of us. It happens when we reduce stigma, make resources easier to find, check on one another, and build a community where people ask for help and are met with understanding instead of judgment.

NAMI Cd’A is part of that local safety net. We connect people to resources, offer free weekly support groups for those living with mental illness, support friends and loved ones walking alongside someone who is struggling, and host a suicide loss support group for those grieving an unimaginable loss.

On Sept. 19 at Riverstone Park, registration opens at 9 a.m. We will have two guest speakers, along with water and snacks for participants. Please walk with us. If you can donate, we would be deeply grateful; we are already at 93% of our $15,000 goal, and every dollar raised stays here in our community. To register, visit NAMIWALKS.org/cda.

The loss of the SPAN walk does not have to mean the loss of our shared commitment. I will be there, and I truly hope you will be too. Let’s walk together — for awareness, for hope, for mental health, and for one another.

JILL AINSWORTH

Executive Director,

NAMI Coeur d’Alene