Recovery Happens & Suicide Prevention Month Proclamations

Published on September 25, 2023

At the Sept. 26 City Council Meeting, Menlo Park Mayor Jen Wolosin will recognize September as Recovery Happens and Suicide Prevention Month. 

Recovery Happens, or National Recovery Month

National Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health. Recovery Happens Month is supported and celebrated in Menlo Park and promotes the importance of prevention, treatment, and recovery. In this spirit, this year’s theme is: “Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person. Every Family. Every Community.”

Menlo Park community members and neighbors of all ages enter treatment for substance use and mental health disorders and begin the road to wellness and recovery in a system that emphasizes behavioral health as an essential part of overall health. The County of San Mateo and Menlo Park extend their support to all those in recovery through this proclamation and encourage our community to remember there are multiple pathways to recovery. Everyone’s journey results in their own unique experience of recovery.  

Suicide Prevention Month

Menlo Park has joined the county, state and country in honoring Suicide Prevention Month in September. Suicide is a preventable national and state public health problem with no single cause. Suicide most often occurs when stressors exceed the coping abilities of someone struggling with a mental health condition. We must also acknowledge and address the disparity in access to mental healthcare for underrepresented groups and advocate for ending these disparities by encouraging culturally informed and evidence-based mental healthcare and services.

The City of Menlo Park encourages our community to play a role in suicide prevention by supporting local Suicide Prevention Month every September and supporting each other by knowing the signs of suicide, finding the words to communicate and reduce harm and reaching out to local 24/7 resources, including our local San Mateo County StarVista Crisis Hotline (650-579-0350) or National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988 or 1-800-273-TALK). 

Join us in advocating for the wellbeing of our Menlo Park neighbors and creating a community of support by recognizing Recovery Happens and Suicide Prevention Month.

For more information on the official proclamations, visit the City Council Agenda.