Lost&Found, an organization focused on eliminating suicide among young adults in the United States, has expanded its mental health services in western South Dakota to address an ongoing crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The region faces chronic, critical shortages in mental health workforce and educational resources, with rising suicide rates. Using a grant from the CDP Midwest Early Recovery Fund, Lost&Found expanded its suicide prevention and postvention services while targeting historically underserved populations, including low-to-moderate income, Indigenous, and rural families.
Partnerships and Expanded Capacity
The grant enabled Lost&Found to maintain core services while establishing partnerships with 47 healthcare and resource providers in the Black Hills. The organization’s Survivors Joining for Hope program provided vital support to 15 families. Lost&Found also expanded its Peer2Peer Mentorship program at the South Dakota School of Mines, with dedicated support for LGBTQIA+, rural, and Indigenous students. The organization provided comprehensive training to peer mentors and collaborated with key partners including Student Affairs and Counseling at Mines to create a custom Postvention Guide for the campus to use in the event of a tragedy.
Community Training and Impact
Through the grant, Lost&Found trained more than 2,700 residents across western South Dakota, exceeding initial expectations. The funding created new partnerships with United Way of the Black Hills and the South Dakota Department of Social Services, strengthening the organization’s ability to provide community training on mental health, suicide prevention, and postvention resources. The grant was particularly critical in bridging funding gaps left by a suspended Community Health Worker program. According to Erik Muckey, Executive Director of Lost&Found, “This grant is responsible for saving many lives, and it kept our organization operating in western South Dakota” during a 30-day span that included 12 suicide deaths.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://disasterphilanthropy.org/stories/transforming-lives-lostfounds-response-to-the-mental-health-crisis-in-south-dakota/