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

Energy, Resolve After CapRadio’s Gathering On Rural Suicide

September 24, 2018

The event marked the close of reporter Sammy’s Caiola's series on suicide prevention, but many attendees expressed hope that it was the beginning of a broader commitment — not just to reducing the suicide rate, but bringing it to zero.

Q&A: How CapRadio Found Data On Suicides In Amador County

September 21, 2018 | Sammy Caiola

Six months ago, CapRadio’s Sammy Caiola set out to learn more about who dies by suicide in rural California, particularly Amador County. Here, we look at where our data came from and what they reveal about the problem.

Preventing Suicide, One Conversation At A Time

September 17, 2018

Suicide is a difficult topic. A big part of confronting the problem is talking about it. This Conversation Kit can help.

Health Care

How Suicide Trainings, Community Connections Could Patch Holes In Amador’s Mental Health Safety Net

September 13, 2018 | Sammy Caiola

Amador County residents and social service providers say there’s a serious lack of services and awareness around mental illness in the community. They’re planning to use a special cache of leftover state funding to solve the problem.

Chronic Loneliness Is A Major Cause Of Suicide For Seniors, Especially in Rural California

September 12, 2018 | Sammy Caiola

It’s a health issue that presents a threat of early death equal to obesity. One-third of all people who took their lives in Amador County between 2010 and 2017 were over age 60.

Dying To Get Out: Stigma, ‘Copycat Effect’ Drive Youth Suicide In Rural Amador County

September 11, 2018 | Sammy Caiola

Many young people say they don’t have a healthy way to express feelings of being trapped and misunderstood. And teens who live in remote places are more likely to seek a fatal escape.

Health Care

The ‘S’ Word: How Suicide Is Devastating Amador County And Rural Communities

September 10, 2018 | Sammy Caiola

Amador has the third-highest suicide rate of any county in California — about three times the state average and the top 20 counties on the list are some of the most remote and least populous places in the state.

Editor’s Note: On Choosing The Topic Of Rural Suicide

September 9, 2018 | Linnea Edmeier

Our decision to spend nearly a year on the topic of rural suicide came after we learned that Amador County, with a population of less than 40,000, has the third-highest suicide rate in the state.

Health Care

Amador County: Faces Of Suicide Prevention

September 6, 2018 | Sammy Caiola

For a long time, Amador County has had culture of silence around suicide. There’s a growing coalition of residents trying to break it, in hopes of convincing friends, family and neighbors to get help. Here are some of the people who are speaking up.

Second Murder-Suicide In Five Months Casts Violent Shadow On Amador County

September 4, 2018 | Sammy Caiola

These crimes cause a huge ripple through communities, and are often just the tip of the iceberg for deeper problems in broken families.