There's no talk about City Council this week. There will be no rants about housing studies. This week, we're hitting pause on our usual banter in an effort to help ourselves, and our community, learn to talk mental health, depression and suicide. During the past few weeks, our little hamlet has been forced to face these issues head on. We've reached a point where we can no longer talk about them from the comfort of 30,000 feet. Depression is real. The fact people are reaching points in their lives where suicide feels like a viable option is real. The need for help is real.

This week, my Lee's Summit Town Hall co-host Jason Norbury grabbed a few extra microphones and found a group of local experts to help us start to understand the issues of depression and it's prevalence in today's environment. We asked them to help us learn to better empathize and how to talk to our friends, families and loved ones about depression and suicide both in terms of prevention and in the aftermath of tragedy. And we asked them about where those in need can find the paths to resources and help. 

A special thank you to Terry Trafton, CEO of CommCare; Lauren Moyer and Kirsti Millar of ReDiscover, and Rachel Segobia, executive director of Lee's Summit CARES for taking an hour out of their day for this important conversation, and for their continuing efforts for the betterment of our community's health. If there are two things to pull from the ensuing conversation, it is this: communication is vital to preventing suicide and help is available.

• National suicide prevention life line: 800.213.TALK

• Regional crisis intervention hot line: 888.279.8188

• Text line: 741 741

• Regional peer warm line: 913.281.2251