Las Cruces Suicide Prevention Task Force

12/28/2025

Happy to have many resources for psychiatric care, including treatment approved for treatment resistant depression like ketamine and transcranial magnetic therapy available in town.

Please reach out if you need help getting connected to resources. You are not alone.

12/15/2025

So proud and delighted to have Desirea Lowe serving as the secretary of our task force. Thank you so much for everything you do for us and for our community!

Please join us in wishing her a wonderful birthday!

🎉✨ Please help us celebrate Desirea!
Happy Birthday and thank you for being such an inspiring leader. 💙🎂

12/09/2025

Our Chair, Athena R. Huckaby, MPH, spoke with KRWG’s Scott Brocato about our upcoming Survivors of Su***de (SOS) Support Group. When someone dies by su***de, grief isn’t only sadness. It can be anger, fear, guilt, disgust, resentment, relief, or all of these at once. These reactions are normal and deserve space.

Our free, peer-led 8-week SOS group begins January 20, Tuesdays 6–8 PM. Location shared privately.

You’re not alone. Support is here—reach out to learn more. 💙

The Las Cruces Su***de Prevention Task Force is opening enrollment for their next Survivors of Su***de Support Group, an 8-week support group that begins January 20th. Scott Brocato spoke with Athena Huckaby, chair of the Las Cruces Su***de Prevention Task Force, about the task force and the SOS sup...

12/02/2025

🌟 This Giving Tuesday, We’re Asking for Your Heart, Your Hope, and Your Help.

🌟Today is more than a day of giving; it’s a day of community, connection, and caring for one another. In our community, far too many families and loved ones have been touched by su***de. And yet, in the midst of heartbreak, our community continues to show incredible strength, compassion, and resilience.

The Las Cruces Su***de Prevention Task Force works every day to bring our community together, offering education, support, crisis resources, healing spaces, and events for youth, families, and survivors of su***de loss.

✨ Your donation on Giving Tuesday helps us:

Provide free su***de prevention training and SOS (Survivors of Su***de Loss Support) Groups.
Support families and survivors with healing resources
Expand culturally mindful programs across Doña Ana County
Bring hope to our schools, neighborhoods, and communities
Fund free events for the community
Contribute to grief and loss baskets

You can donate here: https://www.lcsu***deprevention.com/donate

Every dollar makes a difference. Truly.

Whether you give $5 or $50, your contribution becomes part of a larger movement:

A movement to save lives. A movement to support one another. A movement to build a community where no one struggles alone.

💛 If you’re able, please consider donating to the Las Cruces Su***de Prevention Task Force this Giving Tuesday.

Together, we can create more light, more support, and more hope right here at home.
***dePrevention

11/27/2025

✨ Unmasking Mental Illness: A Night of Connection, Culture, and Community ✨

On Día de los Mu***os, the Las Cruces Su***de Prevention Task Force gathered with our community for our 2nd Annual Unmasking Mental Illness Masquerade Ball. It was a vibrant celebration of remembrance, healing, and the shared commitment to ending stigma around mental health and su***de.

This year’s event was filled with color, cultura, and heartfelt connection. Guests honored loved ones, enjoyed face painting, music, photo backdrops, and delicious food, and came together to support su***de prevention efforts throughout Doña Ana County.

Every mask, every marigold, every conversation reminded us that we heal in community. Mental health deserves visibility, compassion, and celebration.

💛 A very special thank you to our event partner, Elite Events, for bringing this vision to life.
💛 Deep gratitude to our sponsors — Counseling Las Cruces, Doña Ana County Resilience Leaders, KG Innovative Solutions, and Senator Bill Soules — for supporting this meaningful night and the work behind it.
💛 And a heartfelt thank you to Coventina Waterhawk, whose tarot readings grounded the evening and helped keep everyone emotionally regulated throughout the night.

📸 Swipe through to see some of the beautiful moments we shared.

***os ***dePrevention

11/26/2025

💜 Survivors of Su***de (SOS) Support Group – Starting January 20th
Las Cruces, NM

Losing someone to su***de can feel isolating, but you don’t have to face it alone. Our latest, completely free, 8-week peer-led Survivors of Su***de (SOS) Support Group will begin January 20th. The group will meets every Tuesday evening from 6–8 PM for eight weeks.

This is a closed group to ensure privacy, safety, and trust. The location is provided only after a brief vetting process. If you’ve lost a spouse, child, sibling, relative, friend, or loved one to su***de—no matter how long ago—you’re welcome to be with us!

You deserve a space where you can talk openly and receive support.
Healing happens when we allow ourselves to be connected with others who understand.

After completing the 8-week group, participants may choose to become trained volunteer facilitators and are also invited to our monthly drop-in support group.

📩 To register or inquire:
SOSGroupLC@gmail.com
📞 (575) 249-5375
🌐 LCSUICIDEPREVENTION.com

Please share widely. Someone in your community may need this space more than you realize. 💜

11/22/2025

Today is International Survivors of Su***de Loss Day, also known as 💙

For survivors of su***de loss, there is a unique and powerful comfort that may be gained by being in the presence of others who have experienced this complex type of loss. 🫂✨

Today, in-person events are taking place around the world, bringing su***de loss survivors together to gain understanding and support each other’s healing journeys. Some people attend every year as a way of honoring their loved one, checking in with themselves, and healthily recognizing the way their feelings evolve over time.

Join us today at 7pm EST for Live or find an event near you at afsp.org/survivorday

11/22/2025

❤️

Dylan was ten years old when he lost his father to su***de.

"In a way, losing someone when you’re a kid really isn’t that much different than being an adolescent or adult, I imagine: the whole world as you knew it has ended. It’s like everything you knew, planned, imagined, and depended upon has unalterably changed forever; but then you look around and the world somehow keeps spinning like nothing has changed at all."

To this day, Dylan still struggles to answer questions like "How did it feel to be a kid and lose your parent in this way?" or "What can a kid do to cope with this loss?" The one thing he does know is that no one is ever alone and to take everything one moment at a time.

Read Dylan's story: https://afsp.org/story/from-a-child-who-lost-a-parent-to-su***de

Join us for your local event to connect with others who have lost someone to su***de: afsp.org/survivorday

11/22/2025

We're here at International Survivors of Su***de Loss Day. We'll be watching a short film at 11:30 and lunch is at noon - enchiladas from La Nueva Casita Cafe. Small discussion groups at 1 and then we'll finish around 2pm. Come for all or part. We also have snacks and resources. Engage as much or as little as you want. We'd love to see you.

11/11/2025

As we take time to appreciate and honor the veterans we love and know, on Veterans Day, we must also remember to check in and support those who served. Supporting veterans means addressing trauma, connection, and the barriers to care that too often persist long after service ends.

Su***de remains one of the most urgent and heartbreaking challenges facing our veteran community.

According to the Office of Su***de Prevention (2024), su***de was the second leading cause of death for veterans under 45 in 2022, claiming 6,407 lives, 271 women, and 6,136 men. The highest rates were among veterans ages 18–34, followed by those 35–54.

📍 The western U.S. — including New Mexico saw the greatest increase in veteran su***de rates, rising by 55%.
🔫 Fi****ms were involved in 73.5% of veteran su***des, and firearm-related su***des increased by 65% between 2022 and 2023.

Key Risk Factors
Up to 31% of service members develop PTSD after combat.
1 in 10 veterans live with a substance use disorder.
Veterans in the LGBTQIA+ community face su***de rates up to 7x higher than non-LGBTQIA+ veterans.
1 in 3 female veterans report experiencing military sexual trauma.
Those who struggle with the transition out of service are 5x more likely to experience suicidal ideation.

What Can Help
Early screening and intervention across all healthcare settings.
VA programs like ReachVet and Caring Contacts that ensure follow-up and ongoing support.
Community-based prevention, firearm safety education, and outreach beyond the VA.
Continued research and policy reform to address root causes and reach at-risk subpopulations.

These numbers are not just statistics they represent our brothers, sisters, and comrades in arms.

💙 If you or someone you know is a veteran in crisis, help is available 24/7.
📞 Dial 988, then press 1, or text 838255 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.
***deAwareness ***de ***de

11/11/2025

We have thought for some time now about having a support group for those with suicidal thoughts and impulses, but haven't yet had the capacity to make that a reality. This is an interesting resource and we wanted to share it in the meantime.

Our LGBTQIA+ Alternatives to Su***de group launched April 2025 and is still going strong!

This is a peer-led virtual space for LGBTQIA+ individuals with lived experience of wanting to die, suicidal thoughts, or feeling like life isn’t worth living.

We meet every Tuesday from 7–8:30pm ET on Zoom.

No registration required. You'll find the Zoom access link here: tinyurl.com/ALT2SULGBTQIAPlus

Image ID:

Begin image description:

A colorful flyer with a warm gradient background of yellow, orange, and pink, decorated with abstract pastel star and tape shapes. The text reads:

"LGBTQIA+ Alternatives to Su***de Support Group
A virtual support space for folx to talk about wanting to die—judgment-free, peer-led, and rooted in Wildflower Alliance’s Alternatives to Su***de approach.
Tuesdays, 7 PM-8:30 PM ET on Zoom
Meeting ID: 852 2024 8726
tinyurl.com/ALT2SULGBTQIAPlus
Questions? Email us at info@wildfloweralliance.org"

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