Corey Lamothe, a broker with LIV Sotheby’s International Realty and a longtime Vail Valley resident, serves as the Vice President of SpeakUp ReachOut, a suicide prevention organization.
After losing her brother Scotty to suicide, Corey started SpeakUp ReachOut with other community members. The organization’s mission is to reduce instances of suicide in Eagle County and support those affected by it in addressing their pain.
LIV SIR: You were a pivotal part of starting SpeakUp, ReachOut in 2009 to help local families with suicide prevention. Tell me about the process and collaboration to launch the organization.
Lamothe: My brother’s first suicide attempt was in 2001, and there were very few behavioral health and suicide prevention resources in the Vail Valley. In 2009 there was a very public suicide, and my brother was having attempts at the same time. There were a few of us that knew we needed to do something. We came together as a collaboration of individuals and entities in 2009, including the Avon Police Department and asked, “what are we going to do about this?” I was the visionary behind the name and the mission, and Vail Resorts and Vail Health came on board. After we had established the name and concept, we received our first donation of $2,500.
We used that money to build a website and logo, so people knew how to find us. Then we started holding monthly meetings, which were open to the public. We got small grants here, small donations there, and our Executive Director worked 5 hours a week. We added school outreach and programming to raise awareness and education and provide hope.
In 2017, there was a ballot unitive for a tax on marijuana which passed, resulting in exponential growth in funding for mental health services. Eagle Valley Behavioral Health was formed in 2018, and we started to receive funding from them.
LIV SIR: What do you see as the biggest barrier to behavioral health access in the Vail Valley?
Lamothe: At this point we are limited by the number of clinicians and resources, but we are on the right path to meet those needs. It’s 100% about collaboration to build and grow at every level.
LIV SIR: I was surprised to discover that in 2017, Colorado ranked 48th in the United States for mental health providers per capita, with Eagle County being the second worst in the state. SpeakUp ReachOut has significantly addressed this critical gap in mental health locally. Could you highlight some key milestones in achieving this progress?
Lamothe: I’m really proud that we have grown from a grassroots effort to help a few suicidal individuals to a thriving organization that is in collaboration with so many other entities. And I am so thrilled that we are a resource that can provide hope, because hope goes a long way.
SpeakUp ReachOut got more attention and funding after my brother’s passing. At his memorial service, Amanda Precourt stood up and offered to match any donations made, resulting in $30,000 in additional funding.
LIV SIR: How crucial is partnership with SpeakUp ReachOut programs?
Lamothe: It’s absolutely critical; partnership is the lifeblood of suicide prevention. There’s no one solution to mental health, so collaboration is pivotal in making sure all people get help from different directions where they need. There’s no one size fits all.
LIV SIR: It’s inspiring to see the progress made by the SpeakUp ReachOut team in Eagle County, having trained over 2,500 adults and 3,000 students in suicide awareness and prevention. What upcoming initiatives or goals are planned?
Lamothe: The goal is to continue to do what we are doing well. We strive to keep expanding services and programming with more ways for the community to get involved.
Uprooting from home and moving to the mountains takes a special kind of person—someone who thrives on adrenaline. However, with the thrill of adrenaline often comes substance abuse, downtime, off-season lulls, and injuries. The mountains offer a great deal of freedom but also significant isolation. The polar opposites of living here can be extreme.
To get involved with SpeakUp ReachOut in Eagle County, visit their website at www.speakupreachout.org for training and volunteer opportunities, or explore local suicide prevention organizations in your community.