Bemidji Listening Session Feb. 24 to Shape Minnesota Suicide-Prevention Plan

The Minnesota Department of Health Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Unit, working with the Minnesota Suicide Prevention Task Force, is holding a regional listening session in Bemidji today, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m.-noon at Sanford Health, organizers say. "The Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Unit of the Minnesota Department of Health, in collaboration with the Minnesota Suicide Prevention Task Force, is inviting community members to a listening session in Bemidji on February 24 from 10 a.m. to noon at Sanford Health," a Wild102 announcement states.

The session is one of several statewide gatherings intended to inform the "2025-2027 Minnesota State Suicide Prevention Plan Strategic Update," the MDH working addendum to the 2023-2027 plan says; the Strategic Update lists priorities including infrastructure enhancements, expanded suicide prevention strategies, and streamlining and realignment such as removal of completed strategies and moving evaluation content into a comprehensive evaluation plan. The MDH document also names specific facilitator trainings the unit will provide, including "Changing the Narrative of Mental Health and Suicide," "Youth Changing the Narrative," "The Role of a Natural Helpers: Building Listening Skills and Providing Support," "Mental Health Continuum," "Eight Dimensions of Wellness," "Using Risk Assessments," and "Safety Planning."

Wild102 and MDH materials make clear who is invited to the Bemidji session: community leaders; public health and healthcare workers; educators; faith communities; youth program leaders; and people with lived experience related to mental health challenges or suicide. "To register, contact Kelly Felton with the Suicide Prevention Task Force by email at kelly.felton@state.mn.us," Wild102 instructs; the MDH Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Unit lists additional contact information for follow-up at PO Box 64975, St. Paul, MN 55164-0975, phone 651-201-5723, and email health.suicideprev.MDH@state.mn.us. The MDH document includes the accessibility note: "Upon request, this material will be made available in an alternative format such as large print, Braille or audio recording."

A Preventsuicidemn event listing complicates the logistics: that site lists an "Advancing Digital Well-being Through Community Resilience and Collective Action" session at the SouthShore Hotel on Lake Bemidji presented by Linnea Imhof, Public Health Educator at Koochiching Public Health and Human Services, and describes an overview of LiveMore ScreenLess and how digital media influences social and structural determinants of health. Preventsuicidemn also highlights the Minnesota Suicide Prevention Trainer Network and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on its page. Organizers have not reconciled the Sanford Health vs. SouthShore Hotel listings in published notices; reporters and attendees should confirm the final venue and agenda through the registration contact or MDH phone.

For anyone needing immediate support during or after the session, organizers and the Preventsuicidemn listing point to crisis resources: "Call or text 988 or chat online." Input gathered in Bemidji will be folded into the MDH 2025-2027 Strategic Update, which the department frames as guiding priorities and strategies for MDH, partner state agencies, and the Minnesota Suicide Prevention Taskforce through the remainder of the plan period.