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Rural Suicide: One California County’s Fight To Save Lives

A rural pocket of Northern California is seeing some of the highest rates of suicide in the state. We’re exploring the mental health crisis in Amador County, and what’s being done to solve it.

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CapRadio health care reporter Sammy Caiola is spending six months exploring the high rate of suicide in Amador County and how residents are trying to tackle it.

Like neighboring Calaveras and Mariposa counties — and other rural places throughout Northern California — residents here are at greater risk for suicide than their urban peers. Her project will delve into why people take their own lives, and what solutions might help.

Through personal stories from people directly affected and conversations with those working on prevention, she discovers why those experiencing depression, anxiety, addiction, isolation and other challenges associated with rural living often suffer in silence.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Additional resources for those in Amador County and beyond, including programs for youth, seniors, veterans and Native Americans, can be found here.

This project is funded by a USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism grant.

Podcast Episodes

Vanessa S. Nelson / Capital Public Radio

A Problem, A Movement: What We’re Learning About Suicide In Amador County

July 17, 2018 | Sammy Caiola

Amador County has the third highest suicide rate in the state, and CapRadio wants to find out why. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.

Stuart Rankin / Flickr

Reading List: Suicide In Rural America

June 22, 2018

CapRadio health care reporter Sammy Caiola has embarked on a six-month project to explore the high rates of suicide in Northern California’s rural communities. Here's a look at what she's reading on the topic.

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