Coroner brings Please Just Stay suicide prevention campaign to Caribou County

Idaho's coroners know all too well the devastating effects of suicide.

They respond to incidents involving suicide and often have to inform victims' families about the tragedy.

Caribou County Coroner Casey Batterton recently attended the kickoff of the Please Just Stay suicide prevention program in Pocatello and was inspired to bring the campaign to the Soda Springs area in hopes of connecting those in need with mental health resources so lives can be saved.

The recent start of the campaign in Caribou County coincided with September being nationally recognized as Suicide Prevention Month.

Batterton and other coroners are on the frontlines of our nation's suicide epidemic, which has steadily worsened since the late 1990s. In 2022 alone, nearly 50,000 Americans took their own lives.

One of the states with the worst suicide rates is Idaho, where over 400 people took their own lives in 2022, the latest year for which statistics are available.

Yet few of us here in Idaho know the signs that someone is contemplating suicide. Nor do most know the resources available for those at risk.

When it comes to the Please Just Stay campaign, Batterton said there is power in sharing a few simple words to impact someone struggling with mental health.

The Please Just Stay campaign began in September 2023 thanks to the efforts of Bannock County Coroner Torey Danner.

The Please Just Stay message can be seen on signs and reader boards throughout the Pocatello area and starting this September it was also visible in Caribou County.

The campaign is designed to provide positive mental priming to prevent suicides.

Danner states, “Positive mental priming is a psychological phenomenon where brief exposure to uplifting, encouraging words or activities can help trigger feelings of hope, calm and connection. When someone reads Please Just Stay, it can serve as a powerful mental cue, activating positive emotions and a sense of support during difficult moments.”

Batterton saw the importance of supporting such a cause and was inspired to bring Please Just Stay to the Soda Springs area.

Many Caribou County businesses joined in the cause and are doing all they can to support the suicide prevention campaign.

Batterton is currently quarterbacking both the Please Just Stay campaign for suicide prevention and the Keep Smiling initiative to help tackle addiction, sexual assault and mental health woes to foster a culture of hope and resilience in Caribou County.

"Keep smiling" was an expression the late Darrin Sims would share with many.

Sims, the former Caribou County coroner, committed suicide in late 2022.

Batterton said, “I had the opportunity of working with Darrin over the years. He was such an impactful member of the community. I wanted to continue sharing his Keep Smiling expression in hopes his words can still carry the lasting impact with others as he did with me.”

The Please Just Stay campaign and Keep Smiling initiative represent a comprehensive commitment to community care, connecting individuals with vital resources for suicide prevention, addiction support and sexual assault services, Batterton said.