As New Mexico continues to grapple with one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, a new initiative will bring suicide prevention training to senior centers across the state.
The New Mexico Suicide Prevention Initiative, housed at Santa Fe Community College and funded by a $1.5 million legislative appropriation, will partner with the Non-Metro New Mexico Area Agency on Aging, which operates more than 100 senior centers in 32 of the 33 New Mexico counties.
Together, the two organizations will provide free, quarterly trainings to help New Mexico seniors — who die by suicide at rates far higher than the national average — recognize suicide risk factors, connect to appropriate resources and become local catalysts for suicide prevention, said Marvel Harrison, a psychologist who developed the initiative’s curriculum.
“Talking about suicide saves lives. People are hesitant to do that, are scared that they’ll be planting the idea of suicide in somebody’s mind, and that is not true,” Harrison said. “We need to get to a place where we can comfortably discuss a very awkward and pain-filled subject.”
She added, “Who better than sage people in the community who have lived through so much to be able to be supportive of such a critical message?”
Santa Fe Community College is now in the final year of a three-year legislative grant to develop and implement the New Mexico Suicide Prevention Initiative, including the ABC Suicide Prevention Program.
“The goal of the program is to make suicide prevention skills accessible to everyone, not just behavioral health professionals, so that everyday New Mexicans feel prepared to recognize when someone may be struggling, respond with compassion, and connect them to appropriate support,” SFCC President Becky Rowley said in a statement.
In 2024, 99 New Mexicans ages 65 and older died by suicide, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. The state’s suicide rate for seniors that year was 23 deaths per 100,000 residents, far higher than the national average of about 17 deaths per 100,000 residents.
Suicide rates among seniors in the state aren’t as high as rates for some other age groups, according to data from the health policy organization KFF. Rates among New Mexico adults 18 to 25 and 26 to 44 are closer to 33 and 38 deaths per 100,000 residents, respectively.
Still, the number of seniors dying by suicide in New Mexico represents a troubling trend, said Daniel Osborn, director of the Non-Metro New Mexico Area Agency on Aging. Factors like chronic pain and social isolation can “play a tragic role in their lives,” he said.
That’s particularly true in rural areas, where studies have shown suicide rates can be nearly double those observed in urban communities.
Some of the counties in New Mexico with the highest percentage of residents 65 and older are also the most rural in the state. For instance, 43% of Catron County residents are 65 or older, according to data from the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department. So are 41% of residents in Harding County and 38% of residents in Sierra County.
Despite their rurality, those counties do have senior centers. In fact, every New Mexico county has at least one senior center, data from the aging department shows. Catron and Sierra counties have three such facilities, while Harding County has two.
The suicide prevention program is intended to send a message to the state’s seniors, rural and otherwise, Osborn said: “There is hope. There are people that care about you. We care about you. We value you.”
The ABC Suicide Prevention Program, a 45-minute course, teaches participants to ask directly whether someone is contemplating suicide, be present by listening and connect them to the appropriate services, namely the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
The course will be delivered remotely each quarter to senior centers throughout the state, Harrison said, but it’s not just for seniors. The training sessions will be open to senior center employees and members of the public, too.
“Everyone is welcome,” Harrison said.
