Walk or Run with Courage to Connect
Courage to Connect and Adams County Health Action Team (ACHAT) is hosting Adams County’s first mental health awareness walk on Saturday, October 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon The free event will be held at the Wye Campground in New Meadows. ACHAT members hope this will become an annual event helping make strong community connections and growing well being.
The community led focus group, ACHAT, started in April 2022 with a conversation about community vision and local concerns. Tara Woodward, Program Planning & Development Specialist with Southwest District Health, facilitates the ACHAT group. She said the group’s main concerns in the beginning were local housing and mental health. More recently, the group has looked for ways to improve social and community connections especially related to mental health and well being.
Woodward said the group brought up the idea of the walk in a monthly meeting, noting many larger cities have commemorative walks to remember people who died by suicide. Group members noted these walks can increase awareness around mental health issues. The goal for this community walk is to provide opportunities for connection between community members and with local resources. ACHAT also hopes it will help decrease the stigma around asking for help.
Woodward said sometimes people, especially in a small town, may be unwilling to talk or access support for fear of being known or called out. She continued, saying, it is important for people to remember we all need support sometimes and it is always OK to ask for help. There is an abundance of help in this area, you just have to reach out.
ACHAT includes individual community members as well as representatives from Ignite Idaho, Youth Advocacy Coalition, Idaho Family Resource Center, St. Luke’s, Valley County Opioid Response Project (VCORP), Adams County Sheriff’s Office, and the City of New Meadows among others. Woodward said VCORP has been the leader on the Courage to Connect campaign and a generous partner.
With the help of grant funding, VCORP was able to expand their reach into Adams County in 2022. They develop strategies to reduce opioid use and overdoses, implement prevention, treatment, and recovery services, and have worked to improve the capacity of the behavioral health care system.
Idaho has the 4th highest suicide rate in the United States according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s 2023 data. The organization’s data also shows suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 15-44 in Idaho. Organizations like those involved in the Courage to Connect walk are working to lower those numbers.
Woodward said ACHAT’s goal is to provide the community with opportunities for connection. She hopes the Courage to Connect walk will raise awareness about ACHAT and grow the group’s membership as well as being a fun event for all to enjoy.
The main event for the October 11 gathering is the free trail walk or run. People of all ages are welcome to participate in the one mile or 5k options. A special sticker has been designed specifically for this event for all registered attendees. Local organizations will be in attendance with information and resources. Registration is open until October 3. Visit couragetoconnectidaho.com/community-walk to sign up or get more information.
