A year ago, Bennett McIntosh, an RN at Avera Flandreau Hospital, had never even heard of the 437 Project.
That changed when she came across a news clip about the run across South Dakota a relay to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. As a young nurse just starting her career in rural medicine, she was already seeing patients come in with serious mental health struggles. She had been wondering how she could do more to support them.
So, she signed up. And this year, she made the team.
No one should ever feel like they are alone and to shine a light on that, being able to help connect people to resources, kind of my why as a nurse, seeing the struggles that people face daily, and letting them know theyre not alone, she said.
McIntosh said simply being part of the run has opened the door for others to share their own stories with her and its been eye-opening how many people have lost loved ones to suicide.
A lot of people, it can be an uncomfortable topic to discuss, but just breaking that stigma and talking about it and normalizing it, its okay to discuss. The topic is huge, thats kind of our goal, is to raise awareness of suicide and to connect people when they need help.
The team of 12 runners started Thursday at the Wyoming/South Dakota border and crossed the state over four days, finishing Sunday at Fawick Park in Sioux Falls. Each runner took on four different legs, about 10 miles each. At 24, McIntosh was the youngest runner this year. She said she trained by logging as many miles as she could, leaning on her purpose when the going got tough.
Thats kind of like life too, its hard sometimes, however you just have to keep going and put one foot in front of the other, so theres a pretty strong connection between the purpose of this run and the physical aspect of it too.
September is Suicide Awareness Month, and the 437 Project is one more reminder that no one has to face those battles alone. In just four years, the run has raised more than $1 million for the Helpline Center, South Dakotas only accredited suicide crisis center. The Helpline serves more than 1,000 people a year and is available 24/7 by calling 211. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is also available around the clock.
You dont have to be suicidalif you have a question about anxiety or you have a a daughter or spouse that youre worried about, you can call those lines too. Theyre really great resources in our state, said McIntosh.
Avera was a presenting sponsor of this years 437 Project and offers resources through Avera Behavioral Health. Its Ask the Question campaign also encourages people to be direct and compassionate if they think someone might be considering suicide.
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