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This past September, the director and coordinator of training for the Wyoming LifeLine (WYLL), Karen Sylvester, presented to the Wyoming Mining Association Safety Show on Wyoming’s conversion to a 24-hour, 988-crisis hotline, the role that the WYLL played, and the opioid epidemic’s effect on Wyoming’s mining industry. Sylvester discussed the importance of the 988-crisis hotline, WYLL’s accreditation and licenses, the resources that the LifeLine offers in addition to suicide prevention, and how WYLL started pro bono. In addition, she also discussed substance abuse prevention strategies that the Wyoming Mining Association can utilize for their workforce. Sylvester said that there were representatives from OSHA and medical officers from Washington state in attendance and that the presentation was well received by the audience. “I had a thousand cards. They came and took all of my cards,” Sylvester said. However, the impact of WYLL’s work came to light when the Wyoming Mining Association offered to write a letter in support of the WYLL’s work and with the intention to circulate the letter to mining managers across Wyoming, “which will be a big deal in the state of Wyoming and they’re going to forward that on to the legislator’s and the governor’s office for us so I think that my time was well spent and that I’m glad I went,” Sylvester said.    
 
Rising call volumes are coinciding with WYLL’s increased hours of coverage, which increased from 11 hours a day, 5 days a week to 14 hours a day, 7 days a week in July 2022. It was a move that assisted in providing 24/7 suicide hotline coverage for the entire state of Wyoming, which is a big step considering that Wyoming didn’t have an in-state suicide call center until 2020. However, with increased hours comes an increased need. When the announcement was made, WYLL’s Executive Director Ralph Nieder-Westermann predicted that WYLL’s call volume would increase as the LifeLine’s hours of operation expanded to meet the need. As anticipated, the WYLL’s call volume has increased by X percent. “August was our highest month ever with 147 calls answered by WYLL,” Ralph said. As our call volume has expanded, so has the number of signed memos of understanding (MOU) between the LifeLine and other Wyoming-based nonprofit organizations, which will bolster the WYLL’s ability to continue providing crisis care. In fact, we have signed numerous MOU’s since this past July. “We are reaching out to all of our resources asking them to sign an MOU to formalize and strengthen our relationship," Ralph said. 

The Wyoming LifeLine’s presentation at the Suicide Prevention Symposium in Cheyenne 
 

The Wyoming LifeLine’s (WYLL) executive director, Ralph Nieder-Westermann, delivered two incredible presentations at the Wyoming Department of Health’s Suicide Prevention Symposium in Cheyenne, Wyoming, this past September. His first presentation was given in conjunction with the Central Wyoming Counseling Center to discuss the importance of WYLL. The presentation reviewed the statistics on Wyoming suicide rates, the history and impact of suicide hotlines across America, how the 988 Crisis Line is a “one-stop shop” for mental health crisis situations, and how the WYLL and the Central Wyoming Counseling Center have been working together to improve suicide coverage in Wyoming since July 2020. He also presented data on the Lifeline’s higher call volume, which has coincided with WYLL’s expanded hours, and how our organizations have signed memos of understanding with several in-state organizations [let’s get a quote from Ralph here to sew this up]. 

WYLL’s other presentation compared the similarities and differences in data between two separate Waller Hall Research studies on Wyoming’s general population and the LGBTQ+ community throughout the state. The data comparison showed that Wyoming’s LGBTQ+ community contends with higher rates of substance use, mental health issues, suicidal thoughts and ideations, and higher rates of STIs, which are all trends that are seen nationally. The presentation also highlighted the WYLL’s work with Casper Pride, which highlighted how our partnership led to an LGBTQ+ focused online health guide and a mental health awareness advertisement campaign. Overall, the presentation was well received by the audience and some audience members even took pictures of the presentation. “This was one of the best-received presentations I have ever given in my entire career,” Ralph said. This Fall, Ralph is also attending the Governor’s Mental Health Summit and Wyoming Counseling Association Conference which address mental health and the role of its stakeholders across the state.  

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