With millions of adults spending the majority of their waking hours at work, employers are uniquely positioned to recognize early signs of emotional distress and creative supportive environments that can save lives. When businesses take proactive steps – such as offering mental health training, promoting resources like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and building a culture where it’s safe to ask for help – they become part of the solution. 

Suicide deaths in Pennington County are rising, placing an urgent need to break the silence surrounding mental health. Now more than ever, it’s critical that we start these conversations and work together to expand access to suicide prevention resources within our businesses.  

What does the data say?

From 2014-2023, there were 291 suicide deaths in Pennington County and 80% of these suicide deaths were among the working population. Provisional data shows that in 2024 there were 34 suicide deaths in Pennington County and there have been 15 suicide deaths in the first 5 months of 2025.

Key Behavioral Health Resources Businesses Can Share to Support Employees

If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress, mental health challenges, suicidal thoughts, or substance use concerns, help is available. You can call, text, or chat 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 24/7. Your call will be answered by a trained crisis counselor at the Helpline Center who is there to listen, support, and help you connect to resources. Help us spread the word about this important resource by displaying flyers, placing wallet cards at your front desk, or even posting signs in your yard by ordering for free on the Helpline Center website.

West River Mental Health is one of the region’s cornerstone providers, offering access to therapy, medication management, and case support for individuals and families dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, and more. A critical addition to the local system is Pivot Point, a short-term crisis stabilization center launched in 2023 by West River Mental Health. Located at 308 Quincy Street, Pivot Point provides 24/7 assessments and up to five days of care for adults in acute mental health crisis, helping to ease pressure on emergency rooms and law enforcement.

The Western Prevention Resource Center (WPRC) focuses prevention support services in the western half of the state. The WPRC’s services include providing education, technical assistance, training and other support to local agencies or organizations. These services form a continuum of care aimed at helping people stabilize, heal, and access the ongoing support they need within the Rapid City community and beyond.

How can you help prevent suicide in the workplace?

1. Help spread awareness of suicide prevention resources. The South Dakota Suicide Prevention website is a one stop resource for anyone seeking more information on suicide prevention. The website offers free materials that can be ordered including print, swag, safe storage materials, including gun locks, and more to spread awareness of this important topic amongst your business.
2. Start the Conversation. Ready for use toolkits have been created for businesses to utilize free of charge. Employers are encouraged to utilize these toolkits that include pre-developed social posts, emails and other materials to promote suicide prevention in their workplaces. Those toolkits and more information can be found here: https://sdbehavioralhealth.gov/prevention/toolkits.
3. Learn the warning signs and how to intervene. There are many courses and materials available to businesses who want to take the next step in promoting suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Funding is available to cover costs with suicide prevention trainings by filling out the request training form.

Suicide affects millions of people each year. If your staff have been affected by suicide or are a suicide survivor, there are resources and supports available.

The grief process is unique to each individual and each person must work through their grief in their own way and at their own speed. Helpline Center provides suicide survivor resources including support groups, classes, guides, and books available to help with a suicide loss. Lost&Found also provides direct support to survivors of suicide loss, as well as consultation and support services to college campuses, workplaces, and other organizations to prepare for and respond to suicide loss. Visit https://loss.helplinecenter.org/ and https://resilienttoday.org/programs/postvention/ for more information.