Building Communities of Hope (BCOH)

Mission:

Awaken life and welcome a new dawn by empowering individuals, families, and communities to make positive choices to restore hope, self-sufficiency and determination through comprehensive suicide prevention strategies.

Vision:

One Voice, One Nation – Protect Life.

Background:

Building Communities of Hope (BCOH) was initiated in 2015 by former Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and former Vice President Jonathan Nez. On January 22, 2019, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer signed Executive Order No. 001-19 to continue supporting the BCOH initiative, and in addition also signed a Navajo Nation Proclamation declaring Navajo Nation Suicide Prevention Week in September annually.

About:

BCOH interdisciplinary team is comprised of DBMHS Clinical, Traditional, Faith Based, and Prevention teams to enrich our youth and communities with education about the prevention of suicide. In addition, DBMHS partners with the Office of the President and Vice-President (OPVP), motivational speakers, and other Navajo Nation programs to provide a message of resiliency, self-awareness, and healing. To date, the BCOH presentation has been provided to approximately 11,000 people.

Ongoing Initiatives:

Goal #1

To teach and discuss the signs/symptoms of suicide while emphasizing the need to be resilient and teachable to families across the Navajo Nation.

Goal #2

To establish a working team and move the initiative to address the prevention, intervention, and postvention tasks related to suicide.

Goal #3

To define and establish local crisis response/postvention teams to provide immediate community support and suppress suicide contagion.

This Navajo Nation collaborative effort involves everyone. Please join in this important endeavor helping to create “One Voice, One Nation – Protect Life”.