Ready & Resilient

Local residents enjoy wellness event

A Ready & Resilient wellness event was held Saturday to bring practical tools, presented by local experts, to build a stronger community. The theme was Stronger Together, Prepared for Tomorrow.

The all-day event held at Lovell High School included raffles, lunch and even childcare and was sponsored by Big Horn County Public Health, Wyoming Resource Centers Collective, BHC Prevention Alliance and One Health.

 Topics included Why Your body is Running Ancient Software in a Very Modern World, Home on the Range: Protecting Your Legacy in Wyoming, Stronger Together: Overdose Prevention training, We Were Kids Once Too: What We Kept Secret and What Our Children Need to Hear, Let’s Get Moving! Sleep is the Foundation, Cent$ibleNutrition Program, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy First Aid Kits, From Surviving to Thriving: Understanding Stress vs. Burnout, Nutrition as Medicine: Building Behaviors that Support Long-tern Health and finishing the day was Stronger Together: Building Community Capacity for Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention.

While this is the first Big Horn County Ready & Resilient event, the planning committee hopes this will become a semi-annual tradition. With the overarching goal to strengthen the health, resilience and connectedness of the community, this event is not only necessary in the community but also welcomed.

By connecting local professionals with community, this event not only offers countless resources, but it also helps to solidify the bonds of the community. Suicide is a social problem, not a mental health problem, stated Dr. Lesley Manson, Psy.D. Integrated Behavioral Health Management and Practice Consultant.

Often individuals experiencing suicidal ideation have social concerns such as housing instability, legal battles, relationship battles, loss of job or loss of an important person in their lives. These are not mental health crises, these are social issues, Manson said.

The PROSPER (Proactive Reduction of Suicides in Populations via Evidence- based Research) process brings actionable strategies to help create connected, resilient communities, where every person feels seen, supported and empowered to play a role in reducing suicide risk and promoting hope. Sometimes it’s as easy as noticing a person struggling and asking them how they are managing things. 

Manson went on to encourage community members to realize that they may not have answers but they can help by noticing and asking and, if needed, help a person get further assistance by calling 988. Manson also suggested that young children are taught to tell a trusted adult if they hear someone wants to kill another, but also if someone says they want to kill or hurt themselves to tell a trusted adult, as well, adding that, if kids can deal with active shooter drills, “we can just add one more sentence that may save another life.”

There are training courses available, virtually or in person, for those interested. They are ongoing and free, as Wyoming has the second highest rate of deaths by suicide nationally. 

The resource fair was also a part of the Ready & Resilient event connecting many local resources to the community. There was a table of sticky notes stacked full of other resources for the community grouped in topics such as basic needs, health, mental health and recovery, family and children, education and employment and rural living.

Remember This Ranch had a table at the resource fair offering information on the Gestalt approach used at their equine therapy business. There will be an open house this Friday, August 14, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 720 Road 7½, Cowley, for those interested in meeting founder Marcia Swank and the horses. The Fulfilled Fork sponsor and presenter Haley Schroth, RND, LD, CPT, will be offering insight between knowledge of healthy eating and being able to enact those behaviors every day.

This fun-filled event was not only interactive and rewarding but also had several fun raffle prizes including pickleball sets, walking pads, fire blankets and more. Kids enjoyed coloring, blowing bubbles and other activities while adults were attending 40-minute breakout sessions. The meeting culminated in the PROSPER keynote presentation.