Wyoming Shows Progress: Suicide Rate Declines, but Fight Continues 

February 22nd, 2024

As founders and proud supporters of Wyoming LifeLine, The Henne Group and Waller Hall Research were encouraged by the latest reports of the State’s decreasing 2023 suicide rate. In fact, for the first time since 2017, Wyoming has dropped from first to third in the nation for suicide. 

“We are heartened by this report,” said Ralph Nieder-Westermann, Wyoming LifeLine Executive Director. “I know, however, that there still remains much work to be done to expand the programs and services we offer to Wyomingites in crisis,” he said. 

Wyoming LifeLine was established in 2020 thanks to generous donations from The Henne Group, Waller Hall Research, The Foundation for the Episcopal Church in Wyoming, Green River Valley Foundation and friends of the LifeLine. Two years later, LifeLine joined the ranks of the newly launched nationwide “988” crisis intervention hotline eliminating the need for callers to dial difficult to memorize “800” numbers. 

June 12th, 2023

The Wyoming LifeLine has just released a timeline infographic highlighting its achievements beginning in August 2020 and including plans for growth up to to April 2024. 

The Wyoming LifeLine is proud of its efforts to be at the forefront in offering support to Wyomingites who face unique mental health challenges, particularly those individuals living in the state’s rural and remote areas.

The Wyoming LifeLine celebrates its first state contract award as one of the state’s two 988-crisis hotlines. Since its founding in 2020, the LifeLine has been underwritten and operated through the generous support of THG and private donations. 

“Over the past two years, it has been The Henne Group’s honor to play a large role in providing resources for this critical service. We are now very grateful to the State of Wyoming for joining us in support of the critical needs that the LifeLine will continue to meet on a daily basis. Special thanks are due to Governor Mark Gordon and Senator Cynthia Lummis for their role in bringing visibility to the LifeLine’s funding needs," said Ralph Nieder-Westermann, Executive Director at Wyoming LifeLine. 

Funding will help to support LifeLine’s recent integration of the Wyoming 211-resource database. The database provides over 2,600 resources ranging from mental health services to food pantries and will greatly enhance WYLL’s ability to provide information about available support and services. Although State funding is contracted through Summer 2025, supplemental funding is still needed for additional training and resources. “While State funding underwrites much of the LifeLine operation, it falls short of supporting staff to respond to urgent calls on a 24/7 basis and providing supplemental crisis prevention training,” Nieder-Westermann said.

As part of LifeLine outreach efforts, Director of Training Karen Sylvester is collaborating with organizations to raise mental health awareness throughout the State. “The WYLL wants to increase awareness, destigmatize, and be resource-oriented in addressing suicide prevention and mental health issues. We believe we have learned a lot in the work we do and want to share that with pertinent organizations," said Sylvester. 

Listen to Ralph Neider-Westermann's latest interview on the Wyoming Public Radio's Open Spaces.

PRESS RELEASE: Greybull's Crisis Hotline Receives State Award 

October 18, 2022

 GREYBULL, Wyo. – The Wyoming LifeLine (WYLL), based in Greybull, was recently recognized for its efforts in promoting mental health services last week at the Wyoming Counseling Association’s (WCA) annual conference in Casper. 

 They were awarded the Garth Shanklin Exemplary Practices Award which recognizes agencies and programs that best exemplify the mission of the Wyoming Counseling Association, which is: “The enhancement of human development throughout the life span and the promotion of the counseling profession.” 

 By annually giving this award to an agency or program, WCA seeks to acknowledge the rendering of services or development of techniques and practices that have strengthened, expanded, enhanced, improved, and/or otherwise had demonstrable benefits in promoting the Mental Health Professions and Mental Health services in Wyoming. 

 The WYLL was established as an initiative to help protect the people of Wyoming in times of crisis and save lives. Greybull’s Waller Hall Research launched the suicide prevention crisis line in August 2020. 

 As of July 2022, the WYLL and the Central Wyoming Counseling Center collaborated to provide 24/7 crisis prevention and mental health support services in the state. “Those in crisis any time of day can now reach a fellow Wyomingite when calling 988,” said WYLL Executive Director Ralph Nieder-Westermann. 

 The WYLL call volume for this year is double what was received all of last year.  

 Attending the Casper conference Nieder-Westermann said, "It was an honor and a complete surprise to accept the Garth Shanklin Exemplary Practices Award on behalf of WYLL. The WYLL is a dream that is the sum of all its parts. Most importantly we couldn’t do this without our staff who answer calls and save lives every day."  

Lisa Kunkel 

Wyoming LifeLine Media Liaison   
Phone: 307.527.3664   

Wyoming LifeLine Receives Award for Excellence in Mental Health Services

The Wyoming LifeLine (WYLL) recently received the Garth Shanklin Exemplary Practices Award from the Wyoming Counseling Association (WCA) for its efforts in promoting mental health services in Wyoming. The Garth Shanklin Exemplary Practices Award recognizes agencies and programs which best exemplify WCA’s mission, which is to “enhance human development throughout the life span and the promotion of the counseling profession.”

The WYLL was established as an initiative to help serve the people of Wyoming in times of crisis and to help save lives. Waller Hall Research launched WYLL as a suicide prevention crisis line in August 2020. As of July 2022, WYLL is part of a network providing 24/7 suicide prevention hotline access across the state. Executive Director Ralph Nieder-Westermann accepted the award on behalf of the Wyoming LifeLine. "It was an honor and a complete surprise to accept this award on behalf of WYLL. The WYLL is a dream that is the sum of all its parts. Most importantly, our agents who answer calls and save lives every day," Nieder-Westermann said. 

Karen Sylvester’s Presentation to Wyoming Mining Association on the 988-Suicide Hotline and Substance Abuse

This past September, Karen Sylvester, the Wyoming LifeLine’s (WYLL) Director and Coordinator of Training presented at the Wyoming Mining Association’s (WMA’s) Health and Safety Event in Casper, WY. Her presentation focused on the state’s conversion to a 24-hour, 988-crisis hotline. In addition to discussing the importance of the 988-crisis hotline, she also discussed WYLL's origin as a pro-bono project of Waller Hall Research, its recent accreditation by the American Association of Suicidology, the other resources that the LifeLine offers in addition to suicide prevention, and possible partnerships between WYLL and the WMA. “I was honored to represent WYLL at this important event,” Sylvester said, “and to work with WMA leadership to raise awareness of the services that we offer, as well as ways to communicate with WMA’s members about us.”   

Wyoming LifeLine’s presentation at the Suicide Prevention Symposium in Cheyenne

The Wyoming LifeLine’s (WYLL) Executive Director Ralph Nieder-Westermann delivered two presentations at the Wyoming Department of Health’s Suicide Prevention Symposium in Cheyenne, Wyoming, this past September. His first presentation was given in conjunction with the Central Wyoming Counseling Center to discuss the importance of providing 24/7 telephone coverage to WY residents in need. The presentation reviewed the statistics on Wyoming suicide rates, and how the WYLL and the Central Wyoming Counseling Center have been working together to improve suicide coverage in Wyoming since August 2020. He also presented data on WYLL’s increased call volume, which has coincided with WYLL’s expanded hours. “We noticed a 15 percent increase in the number of calls in August versus July, primarily due to the implementation of 988. We are anticipating that call volumes will continue to increase,” Nieder-Westermann said. In his second presentation, Nieder-Westermann compared data from two separate Waller Hall Research studies with Wyoming’s general population and Wyoming’s LGBTQIA+ community. The data presented focused on substance use, mental health issues, suicidal ideation, in addition to highlighting Waller Hall Research’s partnership with Casper Pride, which led to a virtual LGBTQIA+ health guide and a mental health awareness campaign.  

Click the ads below to learn more about the Casper Pride Guide!  

988 suicide prevention lifeline connects callers with Wyo help

July 7th, 2022

We are happy to announce that as of July 7th, those calling the national suicide prevention hotline from a 307 area code will be connected to an agent in Wyoming 24/7! The Wyoming LifeLine (WYLL) began as a labor of love two years ago, initially covering four counties 25 hours a week. In the last two years, we’ve slowly expanded to cover the entire state, and we are now providing coverage 98 hours a week – 14 hours each day from 2am until 4pm. Our sister organization, Central Wyoming Counseling Center, provides coverage the other 10 hours a day. Both centers stepped up last week to take on an additional two hours per day to fill the remaining four-hour gap of time that had remained uncovered.

In the beginning, this was mostly a passion project and dream of four people -- THG’s Jeff Henne and Ralph Nieder-Westermann, Karen Sylvester, who first approached Jeff and Ralph over 10 years ago about the idea when she was the prevention coordinator for Big Horn County, and Barbara Anne Green, the chair of the Basin Chamber of Commerce. "Karen was the main driver of this in the early years,” said THG’s Jeff Henne. "It was her dream, and through her perseverance and determination it became our dream as well.” 

The need is great in WY – the state regularly trends #1 in the U.S. for per capita suicides, and as of two years ago, WY was the only state which didn’t have an in-state call center. THG has provided seed money and in-kind donations of staff time over the past two years, but over the course of the last two years we have received substantial financial support from the Episcopal Church Foundation, the Green River Valley Hospital Foundation, and many individual donors in Wyoming and throughout the U.S. 

With the volume of incoming calls continuing to surge, 24/7 service through the two hotlines could not have come at a better time. “We expect call volumes to more than double after the new three-digit phone number, 988, goes into effect on July 16th, says Ralph Nieder-Westermann, Executive Director at Wyoming LifeLine. 

"The Wyoming LifeLine is a testament to a vision and commitment to the people of Wyoming and an undying belief that we could make a difference,” says Karen Sylvester, founding board member and Director of Training at Wyoming LifeLine. "It has been quite a journey and we celebrate this second anniversary for what has been accomplished and acknowledge all that we have left to do. 988 has been long awaited and we will continue our work to incorporate the changes and strive to serve the folks of Wyoming with dignity and kindness any way that we can.” 

As WYLL has continued to widen our footprint in Wyoming, funding from the state has still been pending. This funding will be crucial so that we are able to recruit enough staff to meet the anticipated increase in demand. In addition to staffing, funding will allow us to expand our resources to include texting, and instant messaging. At this point, the Wyoming Legislature has authorized $2.1 million to be allocated to the two crisis centers over the next two years, and we are hopeful that we will receive some of these funds. 

As a Crisis Hotline Grows, So Do Fears It Won’t Be Ready - The New York Times

Commemorating a Milestone

September 1, 2021

By Ralph Nieder-Westermann

Waller Hall Research leadership has long held a deep commitment to suicide prevention, a passion that led the company to launch the Wyoming LifeLine, a suicide prevention crisis line on August 12, 2020, after years of work and preparation.   

Over the past year the Wyoming LifeLine has grown to support every county in the state and expanded coverage hours. We wouldn't have been able to do this without the help and support of those who have worked tirelessly for years to help establish a Wyoming-based crisis hotline. Our first year of operating the Wyoming LifeLine has been a remarkable journey. 

Filling a need, growing in impact 

Wyoming has always ranked as one of the top three states with the highest mortality rate due to death by suicide in the nation, and until 2020 did not have a state-based crisis hotline. Previously, calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800 number were routed to one of the out-of-state, major call centers within the network. No crisis lines were previously staffed by and for Wyoming residents. While these centers all had well trained staff, they did not have the local knowledge or resources that come with in-state crisis centers. 

The largest town, Cheyenne, has a population of only 65,132 based on the 2020 US Census. The entire state has a population of only 576,851 (2020 US Census data), spread across 97,818 square miles, making Wyoming the least populous and least densely populated state in the contiguous United States. 

The modern Western culture of self-reliance, which helps people thrive in a landscape that’s big and tough, only adds to the physical distances between people in the state. Under the surface one can find that many struggle with a sense of overwhelming isolation, both physical and psychological. The “I can do this on my own” mentality creates a situation where people who need help often may not seek it out. The role of a crisis line worker is to triage a situation and provide the caller with the most appropriate resources, not to provide direct mental health counseling. 

To meet this need for a local crisis center, the Wyoming LifeLine (WYLL) was formed. Originally planned to work out of the Waller Hall Research (WHR) office building in Greybull, we had to adapt to a virtual environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic as did the rest of our company operations. 

Opening a new crisis center during a pandemic was not in our original plans, yet looking back over the past year, we achieved a lot, especially since we are currently funding the operations primarily through support from both WHR and our parent company The Henne Group (THG), as well as through donations from The Foundation for the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming, Green River Valley Health Foundation, and family and friends who care about this issue. 

Here are some of the key highlights of our first year of operations: 

• - June 2020 – WYLL formalized a relationship with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
• - July 2020 – 60-hour staff training program developed by suicide prevention specialist with regional expertise and our website launch: www.wyominglifeline.org 
• - August 12, 2020 – Phone lines live, launched with four-county coverage, 25 hours/week (two trained operators and one supervisor) 
• - October 29, 2020 – WYLL operating with full statewide coverage across all 23 counties 
• - March 11, 2021 – Hours expanded to 55 hours/week coverage 
• - May-June 2021 – Grants received from Green River Valley Health Foundation and the The Foundation for the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming.

Resources and outreach 

As part of launching a crisis hotline, we needed to have a resource list that our crisis line staff could turn to when on the phone with someone with suicidal ideation. We quickly found out that while there were local lists available in some parts of the state, there was no statewide list of resources that people in need could access. Therefore, it was up to our staff to develop such a list. They reached out to various types of organizations, support groups, and mental health professionals across the 23 counties in Wyoming to develop a home-grown list. 

Each resource was contacted and asked if they would be willing to be part of our resource guide. If they agreed, they were added to our growing list. To our knowledge this was the first resource guide of its kind for our state. Through relationship building, many people and groups came together to support this guide. 

Outreach and education were also important to us from the beginning. Traveling the state to conduct in-person outreach and education was not possible due to the pandemic. Despite these challenges we: 

• - Ran billboard campaigns with two billboards in Big Horn County, one each in Sheridan and Laramie Counties. Each billboard runs for a period of three months. Anyone can sponsor a billboard, either because they care and are motivated to support this important resource or in some cases honoring the memory of a loved one. 
• - Printed 10,000 wallet cards with information about the national suicide prevention hotline and WYLL to distribute and provide to organizations in our Resource Guide. 

Governance and funding 

The WYLL brought together a 10-member advisory board of suicide prevention specialists, mental health professionals, along with religious and civic leaders to provide the knowledge and expertise in suicide prevention to guide our development while meeting the needs of people in Wyoming.

The WYLL has not received any state funding and relies completely on in-kind donations from donors and our parent company. 

How to help 

All donations are invaluable, whether it's monthly or one time only, all amounts go to sustaining the LifeLine saving lives. You can donate through various platforms including: Go Fund Me, PayPal, or writing a check. Wyoming LifeLine is a non-profit, under the fiscal sponsorship of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE). As a SEE project, donations to the Wyoming LifeLine are tax deductible and will appear on a donor’s credit card statement as a donation to SEE.   

Continued financial support is needed to help meet the National mandates for the upcoming single nationwide 3-digit number (988) that replaces the current 800 number for all states. This exciting update to the simplified number will begin July 2022.