Lawmakers want Colorado employers to display suicide prevention posters at workplaces

By Marissa Ventrelli 01/23/2024 | updated 2 years ago

Colorado is currently ranked sixth in the nation for suicides, a figure that two state lawmakers are looking to decrease through a bill that would require companies to post prevention education posters at workplaces starting next year.

The proposal from State Rep. Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D- Commerce City, would also require businesses to include suicide prevention information in company handbooks.

Under House Bill 1015, posters created by the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics would include an overview of available suicide prevention training programs, educational materials on reducing access to means of self-harm, such as firearms, information on the 988 Suicide Crisis Line, and a QR code linking to a workplace suicide prevention landing page. The latter will be created by the Office of Suicide Prevention.

The posters would be distributed to workplaces across the state at no cost to the employer.

There were 49,449 suicide deaths in the United States in 2022, increasing 2.6% from the previous year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Colorado came in with the sixth highest suicide rate in the country that year, reaching 1,384 deaths, a trend that has persisted for a decade. Since 2014, Colorado has been in the Top 10 states for highest suicide rates every year except in 2017.

According to the fiscal note tied to the proposed bill, the cost to implement the program in 2024-25 is estimated to be about $165,000. Next year, the potential cost is roughly $53,000.

With Colorado having a top 10 national ranking for suicides, Vigil said working-age men are at the highest risk, which is part of the reason why she and Michaelson Jenet decided to target workplaces.

During a press conference to introduce the legislation on Tuesday, Vigil detailed her own mental health struggles and highlighted the crisis faced by her constituents in El Paso County, which ranks highest in the state for deaths by suicide.

“We’re here to take action because these losses are not inevitable, and we can turn it around,” she said. “This bill serves to grow our collective knowledge, build resiliency, and foster hope across every community in Colorado. Suicide deaths are preventable, and everyone can save a life.”

She added: “We all have a role that we can play in keeping those around us safe, so we should all be equipped with those skills and knowledge to act and to be confident that we can be effective when we do.”

Cassandra Walton, of the Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention Partnership, also emphasized the importance of outside intervention for people in a crisis.

“House Bill 1015 is a simple step that helps increase the average person’s access to life-saving resources,” she said. “When I sit with suicide loss survivors, they often report that they knew something was wrong, but they did not know what to do. This bill helps important information be posted in a common place.”

She added: “When you see information in a common place, it helps to support the idea that this is information that is commonly needed. This is a very basic and important step to reducing stigma around mental health challenges and accessing help.”

Rep. Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs, speaks at a January 23 press conference about House Bill 1015, which would require all Colorado workplaces to display posters with information related to suicide prevention.

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