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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – The County of Santa Barbara, Department of Behavioral Wellness is a sponsor for the 2023 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walk, and invites the community to join. This year’s walk will take place on October 14 at Goleta Beach Park. Communities throughout America are joining the fight against suicide in their local Out of the Darkness Walks. Our local community walk offers an opportunity for people impacted by suicide to come together to connect and support one another, as well as raise awareness for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
In 2020, 54% of Americans were affected by suicide in some way. More than 5 times as many people died by suicide in 2019 than in alcohol related motor vehicle accidents.
The Center for Disease Control has published provisional data for 2022, showing a record high of 49,369 deaths by suicide, following a decline in 2019 and 2020. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10-24 in and second leading cause of death for ages 24-34, in California.
“We hope many will join us in this important community building event,” says Toni Navarro, Director for the Department of Behavioral Wellness. “This Walk gives people the space and the opportunity to open up about their own connection to suicide, and come together in a network of support and advocacy for conversations about mental health, hope and resiliency.”
There is no fee to register to walk. Behavioral Wellness invites the community to join “Team Behavioral Wellness” or community members may register to walk independently. To register to join “Team Behavioral Wellness”, click here. For general registration, click here. Walk details:
2023 Out of The Darkness Walk
Date: October 14, 2023
Location: Goleta Beach Park
Check-in opens at 9:00am, and the event will begin at 10:00am
Since the first American Foundation for Suicide Prevention walk in 2004, Out of the Darkness walks have provided a platform to create awareness about mental health issues. For more Information about the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention go to https://afsp.org.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, please call or text 988 for the Suicide Crisis Lifeline. Or, call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or go to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.
To learn more about County of Santa Barbara Department of Behavioral Wellness, please visit https://www.countyofsb.org/274/Behavioral-Wellness. For assistance accessing Behavioral Wellness services, call the 24/7 toll free Crisis Response and Services Access Line at (888) 868-1649.