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KSMW West Plains 90.3 FM is currently off the air due to a technical issue. We are working to fix it as quickly as possible. In the meantime, you can stream Ozarks Public Radio here on this website, or on the NPR App. Just set your home station to KSMU.

Efforts are underway to address southwest Missouri's suicide rate

A man sits on a bench
Mabel Amber
/
Pixabay
A man sits on a bench

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call 988, the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Our weekly program, Making Democracy Work, is a collaboration between KSMU Radio and the League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri. It's hosted and produced by volunteers from the LWV, and it airs each Monday morning at 9:45 on KSMU. 

In this episode of our local program Making Democracy Work, host Maggie Castrey speaks with Josh Boley, public health information specialist with the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.

Boley talks about mental health and suicide rates in Greene County and how these compare to national rates. He reports that men between 30-65-years-old are at highest risk and said the stigma surrounding mental health is one factor.

“Hey man, you good?” is a program that seeks to address men’s mental health needs and is funded by a three-year grant from the Community Partnership of the Ozarks.