Las Animas - Bent County Library District

An interactive platform for visualizing geographic disparities for selected social determinants of health, life expectancy estimates, and key health conditions/outcomes across Colorado. Specific areas covered include: population density, life expectancy, age, disability, education, employment, income/poverty, language, race/ethnicity, asthma, diabetes, suicide, low birth weight, drug overdose, low birth weight, and teen fertility.

Nationally and in Colorado, drug use disorders and fatal overdoses remain significant public health concerns. Drug overdose deaths were further classified according to the involvement of specific substances, including prescription opioid analgesics (prescription opioids), illicit opioids (including heroin), methamphetamine and cocaine, and manner (intent) of the overdose, including unintentional (accidental), intentional self-harm (suicide), and those...

Colorado had the seventh highest suicide rate (19.1 deaths per 100,000 population) among all states. In 2013, suicide was the seventh leading cause of death in Colorado. From 2009 to 2013, there were 4,654 suicide deaths in Colorado, outnumbering deaths by motor vehicle accident, unintentional poisoning, falls or homicide.

First responders as an occupation, have a unique relationship with suicide deaths. They are often the people who come into contact with suicidal individuals and respond to suicide deaths within their day-to-day work. Additionally research has shown that first responders may be at higher risk for suicide. In response to this, the Suicide Prevention Commission of Colorado recommends developing suicide prevention strategies specific to these occupations....

In Colorado and throughout the nation there are growing and concerted public health efforts to reduce suicide and other preventable deaths. On the continuum of mental health care usage and suicide risk are those who have struggled with some form of criminal legal problem. This is a population that has an especially high risk of suicide. Those exiting the criminal justice system on probation have been shown to have significantly higher suicide rates...

Suicide is a critical public health concern that adversely affects a diverse population of Americans. The number of suicides has increased over the past decade for the United States and also in Colorado. In 2015, Colorado had the ninth highest suicide rate (19.5 deaths per 100,000 population) among all states. In 2015, suicide was the seventh leading cause of death in Colorado. From 2011 to 2015, the suicide deaths in Colorado outnumbered deaths...