The Tooele County Health Department’s suicide prevention team and a Utah-based group are working to prevent suicide one billboard at a time in the Tooele Valley.

Over 70% of those living in the Tooele Valley commute to the Salt Lake area for work around five days a week, and nearly 100% of those living in the valley have driven down Tooele’s Main Street. What better locations for positive messages that may literally save a community member’s life?

A while ago, Stacy Smart and Natalie Heiner, both prevention specialists employed by the Tooele County Health Department, wanted to spread a message of hope and share the National Suicide Hotline, 988, with members of the community, so they made the decision to contact the Live On Utah organization to push for installation of several billboards in various locations throughout the county.

“Live On” is a statewide effort to prevent suicide by promoting education, providing resources, and changing the culture around suicide and mental health, according to Live On Utah’s website, liveonutah.org. The group promotes their central message through a variety of campaigns and smaller messages, including fliers, billboards; online, television, and radio advertisements; and their website. The group also provide trainings and reported over 150,000 Utahns, including those in Tooele County, have begun trainings offered. In addition, 78% of Utahns have seen the group’s suicide prevention ads, including billboards.

Although Live On Utah was the group that actually installed the billboards, it was Smart and Heiner who actively pushed for billboards to be installed in Tooele County. They played a key role in bringing suicide prevention billboards to the county.

“We really wanted to get 988 out there,” Smart commented. “In order to get 988 out there, we had to collaborate with Live On. In addition to putting 988 up, we wanted to have suicide messaging put up.”

Although it took a while for billboards in the area to open up to allow for new advertisements, as most billboards are scheduled out, the first billboard was installed over a month ago on Utah Avenue by the train tracks on the left side of the road heading toward Grantsville. The billboard, before it was taken down, read, “How do you know if your spouse is thinking of suicide? You ask.”

Although simple, the message is powerful.

“We wanted a billboard in each area of Tooele County, so the prevention message was widespread,” Smart said.

The “Grantsville billboard,” as Smart and Heiner call it, was taken down over a week ago. Overall, it was up for over a month.

Two billboards on the same pole were installed during the first week in August in Lakepoint, across SR-36 from the Holiday gas station on the west side of the road. The billboard that faces north reads, “This is suicide prevention.” The board includes the Live On Utah website and the 988 lifeline.

“The people on the billboard are enjoying connection in the outdoors,” Smart explained. “Just being in the outdoors and connecting alone can be suicide prevention.”

The billboard on the south side of the pole encourages people to check on their friends and family by offering to hold onto their guns for them until they feel sale. The sign also includes the 988 lifeline. Gun safety is important in suicide prevention, because 60% of suicides in the State of Utah involve a firearm, Heiner said.

The newest billboard was installed near Dennys in Tooele within the last two weeks on the west side of the road. The billboard was installed there because it is a central location in Tooele City, Smart said. The messaging on the board reads, “I’m worried about you. Wanna talk?”

“Just saying that can save a life,” Smart said, referring to the billboard’s message. “Asking people questions is so important.”

So far, the community’s reactions to the billboards and the messaging have been positive.

“A lot of people are grateful that 988 is getting out there and a lot of people have asked what can be done to get 988 out there,” Smart said. “This is one way that we are able to do that.”

“I think this is great,” said Jon Gossett, one of Life’s Worth Living Foundation’s founders. “I don’t think a lot of people really recognize what 988 is… How many lives has 911 saved since being introduced in the 1970’s? Now, 911 isn’t being swallowed up by mental health emergencies. The billboards are a great way to get 988 out in front of people. So many people are driving by these billboards every day… Whatever can be done to draw attention to resources is what we need.”

Although future billboards are fund-dependent, both Stacy and Heiner would like to see additional suicide prevention billboards in the county.

In addition to the billboards, banners with relatively the same messages, will be installed in the Grantsville and Wendover areas soon. There will be four in Grantsville and three in Wendover, and the banners in Wendover will be written in Spanish.

Money to install the billboards came from the state’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Grant, the same grant that funds Smart’s position.

If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide, please call 988.

“We always say that 911 is to physical health, as 988 is to mental health,” Smart said. “Suicide is preventable and everyone can help. It’s little things that help, like taking a walk, connecting with someone, or just asking a question about how someone is doing.”

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