This  link to a 90 second video that captures much of what a person needs to know to save lives from suicide. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo3TWtDfQPU  

The ABCs are easy to learn and use when you follow these 14 words:

A - Ask are you thinking about suicide? 

B - Be Present, listen.

C - Connect to resources - call/text 988

The ABC Suicide Prevention program was developed with the first ever NM GRO Funds. This is a success story for the NM Legislature, which supported this funding stream.

Facing the issue:

NM has a high rate of death by suicide and is not afraid to tackle the problem. A high-functioning community is not one without problems. Every community has problems. A high-functioning community is one that faces problems and accesses resources to mitigate them. 

Damage/Cost: 

New Mexico loses about 500 community members each year to suicide. For every person who dies by suicide, there are hundreds who are severely weighed down by the loss, leaving thousands of New Mexicans suffering, not meeting their human potential in the grief and trauma response which can last a lifetime. 

Beyond the human cost of life lost and the burden of lost human potential, the NIH reports the financial cost of every suicide is estimated to be about $1.3 million per death, totaling over $650 million per year for New Mexico.

Access: 

Free to all New Mexicans. NM now has its own high-quality ABC Suicide Prevention program, created using evidence-based practices from the CDC, SAMSHA, NIH, academic studies, and decades of research. A Veterans focused ABC class is available as well as a class for construction and extraction workers who are in high-risk for suicide occupations. ABC uses the highly successful 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The one hour ABC Partner Class, with a certification of completion, is available in English and Spanish and is accessible by anyone in NM at link abcsuicidepreventionnm.org on:

Mobile telephone for online self guided, on demand classHome, business, laptop or desktop computer OR tablet for self guided, on demand class

Or take a group class: 

In-person classes are currently offered across numerous New Mexico counties.

Live virtual class in all 33 New Mexico counties. 

Pre recorded on demand across New Mexico

Call to Action:

Take the ABC Partner Class. New Mexico can lower the high suicide rate when thousands of community members take the class. The program was built with taxpayer dollars. It is free and accessible across the state. Talking about suicide saves lives. The program works when enough people participate. Current involvement: The construction industry via AGC has embraced ABC for its members; the ABC Partner class is offered routinely at Los Alamos National Lab; 75 New Mexicans are ABC Certified Community Instructors offering classes across the state; and the NM Non Metro Area Agency on Aging is offering the class to all 122 senior sites across 32 counties.