Klamath Falls mayor proclaims September 2025 Suicide Prevention Month

Mayor Cara Westfall opened the Sept. 2 Klamath Falls City Council meeting with a mayoral proclamation declaring September 2025 as Suicide Prevention Month in Klamath Falls.

The proclamation, read at the start of the meeting, cited national and local data and urged the community to learn warning signs and connect people to resources. It noted that suicide is “a public health issue that affects people of all ages and backgrounds,” referenced a national estimate of more than 49,000 suicides annually, and said Klamath County’s most recently published data show an average annual rate “of approximately 40 deaths per 100,000 population with around 28 deaths per year.” The proclamation also thanked the You Matter to Klamath Suicide Prevention Coalition and local partners for prevention and intervention work.

Jennifer (surname not specified in the public record) accepted the proclamation and spoke briefly, saying the declaration is “more than just words on a paper,” and urging the community to replace “silence with compassion and stigma with hope.” She called attention to the human toll behind statistics and encouraged people to reach out for help.

The proclamation was presented as a ceremonial item; no formal council vote was required or recorded in the meeting transcript.

The mayor’s office and the You Matter to Klamath Suicide Prevention Coalition were identified in the proclamation text as the primary organizers and partners for awareness and outreach during the month.

Council context: The proclamation was delivered at the start of the meeting before the consent and legislative items and was followed later by public comment and other agenda business.