An 80% increase in suicides and 1,458 deaths by suicide in Lane County over the course of 20 years — these are the latest figures from the Suicide in Lane County report published on Feb. 7.

The report, which draws on data from between 2000 and 2020, reveals the rate of suicide in Lane County was 65% greater than the U.S. average. Nearly one in four of people who died by suicide were veterans or military service members. Suicide rates typically rise in the spring months for reasons not entirely known.

Roger Brubaker, a Lane County Public Health suicide prevention coordinator and the author of the report, said the causes for Lane County’s particularly high suicide rate cannot be chalked up to a single reason. However, he said one of the possible reasons could be that Lane County is a rural county, and, on average, rural communities experience more deaths by suicide.

Cities such as Junction City and Cottage Grove experience a suicide mortality rate more than twice that of more urbanized Eugene, Brubaker said. This is due to a variety of reasons, he said, ranging from difficulty obtaining mental health services because of cost and distance to a stigma around mental health that can be more prevalent in rural communities. 

However, as with many other fields, there are simply not enough workers to fill the necessary positions within the healthcare system.

“Within our healthcare system, we’re currently in the state experiencing a very significant workforce shortage,” Brubaker said. “Meaning that our healthcare system is actually not terribly well prepared locally or at the state level to provide sufficient care for people with health problems.”

The health care and mental health support systems in both Lane County and Oregon at large have been placed under great strain in recent years, according to a 2018 report by the Oregon Health Authority. Oregon ranks 30th in the nation in regard to access to healthcare, 48th in adult mental illness and last in relation to prevalence of mental illness and access to services among youth, according to the nonprofit Mental Health America.

This means while the healthcare system may be sufficiently funded, it is overwhelmed by the vast number of Oregonians in need.

However, Lane County has increased the budget for the Lane County Department of Health and Human Services by over $70 million in the past decade, from about $104 million to nearly $175 million, according to Lane County’s website. These budget increases have led to more funding for two major mental health services: the Behavioral Health Services and the Community Health Services.

Dawn Lesley, a citizen member of the Lane County Budget Committee for the 2022–23 budget, said the budget for the Department of Health and Human Services makes up nearly 18% of the entire county budget. 

Lesley said access to healthcare and mental healthcare were one of the county’s top concerns.

“The budget is the truest expression you can get on the relative priority of things,” Lesley said.

While county administrators grapple with managing mental illness and trying to reduce deaths by suicide, many local organizations have also been committed to helping. The GriefShare group, a grief recovery support group located at Cove Church in Eugene, is one of these organizations.

Jan Hahn was one of the many people who benefited from the listening and community at GriefShare. In 2015, she lost her son to suicide, then just four years later, in 2019, her daughter passed away from cancer. 

After losing her only children, Hahn said she felt alone and as if she no longer had a purpose in life.

“Losing a loved one after a long, painful illness is heartbreaking, knowing there is nothing you can do to help except be by their side and hold their hand,” Hahn said. “But losing a loved one to suicide is devastating. You had no idea life was so painful for them, and they hid their mental anguish from you.”

Hahn said she was grateful for the community and comfort that GriefShare provided in her darkest hours. When someone loses a loved one or friend to suicide, it is important to have a group there to support each other says Hahn.

“Friendships change when tragedy strikes. People you think will always be there are not,” Nina Charlson, the lead facilitator at GriefShare said. “New friendships are formed in these groups. Having supportive friends is vital to healing.”

Community healing is critical for suicide survivors in its aftermath. However, a supportive community is also important as a preventative measure, Burbaker said. If people want to take steps to improve mental health, it is incredibly important to take a more community-centric approach to mental health support, he said.

Burbaker said he believes one of the most important ways the community can help reduce deaths by suicide is by providing a supportive environment for those in need. 

Suicide prevention is far from only a Lane County issue. Oregon legislators heard testimony on Senate Bill 818 and 514 on Feb. 13 — bills that, if passed, would direct the Oregon Health Authority to do a suicide risk assessment and provide education opportunities for healthcare providers in regard to suicide. It also establishes a Adult Suicide Prevention Coordinator within the Oregon Health Authority, a position dedicated to adult suicide prevention.

Brubaker said he believes these are steps in the right direction.

“When we think about suicide, we think about the health of our community, not just the health of an individual,” he said.

Brubaker points to SB 52, more commonly known as Adi’s Act, that was passed in 2019 as crucial in combating suicide. Adi’s Act requires school districts to develop a plan for suicide prevention, intervention and post-vention response activities.

“We can state at this point that every single educator in the county has essentially, over the past three years, received training in suicide intervention skills, and we’re really proud of that,” Brubaker said.

Brubaker said this in relation to the work that the Lane County Public Health Department has done in helping to implement Adi’s Act through strategies such as screening, assessment and safety planning practices in schools since the bill’s passage.

Lane County and the University of Oregon provide excellent services for those struggling with mental health or experiencing suicidal thoughts, Brubaker said. In Lane County, there is the Suicide Prevention Coalition, which includes groups such as GriefShare at Cove Church and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

On campus, the University Health Services provide free counseling for anyone and an After-Hours Support and Crisis Line at 541-346-3227.

“Hope is not just an optimistic disposition; it is an action,” the Suicide in Lane County report wrote.