Anchorage Assembly names September suicide prevention month

The Anchorage Assembly passed a resolution Sept. 1 recognizing September 2026 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. The measure cites state data placing the region that includes Anchorage first among Alaska regions in suicide deaths.

AR No. 2026-249 cites the Alaska Health Analytics and Vital Records Section, which reported that Region 8, comprising the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula Borough, had the highest number of suicide deaths among Alaska's regions. The resolution notes World Suicide Prevention Day falls on Sept. 10 and encourages residents to help promote suicide prevention awareness.

Alaska's suicide rate remains near 30 deaths per 100,000 people, more than double the national rate of 14 per 100,000, according to the resolution. It cites the Alaska Department of Health, which reported 213 Alaskans died by suicide in 2023. Nationally, the resolution cites CDC figures showing 48,824 Americans died by suicide in 2024, an increase from 2023.

The Assembly passed a similar resolution last September, AR 2025-269. A state bulletin reported Alaska Native youth ages 10 to 18 died by suicide at a rate of 47 per 100,000, compared with 9 per 100,000 for White youth.

Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson told an April 22 House Finance Committee hearing, "Alaska's youth face the highest suicide rate in the nation. In 2023, the suicide rate among Alaska's ages 10 through 24 was 42.3 deaths per 100,000, and Alaska's overall rate is nearly double that national average."

Behavioral health advocates say resources lag. The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority reports state suicide prevention funding has stayed flat or been reduced for decades. The Alaska Municipal League has urged permanent state funding for 988 and local crisis services.

The resolution points residents to the Alaska Careline at 877-266-HELP and the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, both staffed around the clock. Sponsors include Assembly Chair Anna Brawley and Mayor Suzanne LaFrance.