The troubling issue of youth suicide has emerged as a top-level concern for the community of Brooks County, Texas. Located in far South Texas, Brooks is one of the most underserved regions in the state. Ranked next-to-last out of 242 Texas counties on overall health outcomes by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Brooks County has a 32 percent poverty rate amid a 90 percent Hispanic population.

The month of September is Suicide Awareness Month. We're taking a look at suicide as a community-level problem, one that calls for community-level solutions. April Anzaldua, Project Director for the Behavioral and Health Outreach Leadership Development (BHOLD) Project, joins us for a discussion of the challenges and strengths of Brooks County youth in the context of her collaborative work.

Related links:

Reflections from the Working Together for Rural Well-being Seminar

http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-rls-reflections

Five Rural Counties on a Mental Health Mission

http://hogg.utexas.edu/five-rural-counties

Collaborative Approaches to Well-being in Rural Communities

http://hogg.utexas.edu/initiatives/collaborative-approaches-well-being-rural-communities

Understanding Rural Communities

http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-mental-health-rural-communities