A Colorado lawmaker and a reporter will be honored Friday at Colorado State University for their efforts in raising awareness about suicide.
State Rep. Matt Jones and Will Hearst, a reporter with the Montrose Daily Press. will be singled out at CSU’s fifth annual “Bridging the Divide: Suicide Prevention and Awareness Summit” on May 18.
The summit is hosted by the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado, Colorado Injury Control Research Center at CSU and Colorado’s Office of Suicide Prevention.
Denver Post sports columnist Woody Paige and former state Legislator Moe Keller were honored last year at the summit.
Jones will get the Advocacy Award for sponsoring HB1140, signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper on May 11. The bill encourages hospitals to provide information about suicide risk factors, signs and sources of help to family and friends to whom a suicidal person is being discharged.
Hearst will receive the Media Award for his work covering suicide prevention. Hearst wrote several articles that gave voice to the issue of suicide and helped build suicide prevention and awareness efforts across the Western Slope, members of the organizing committee said.
The Suicide Prevention and Awareness Summit is meant to unite stakeholders to advance statewide and national efforts to impact the suicide rate in Colorado, said CSU spokeswoman Emily Narvaes Wilmsen.
Online registration for the conference has ended. But people can still register by calling the Office of Conference Services at 970-491-7501 or e-mail Jule Gibbs at julie.gibbs@colostate.edu.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
