New Mexico asks primary care to help with suicide prevention

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – New Mexico officials are turning to primary care doctors to help lower the state’s suicide rate.
The New Mexican reports that officials are training primary care providers to screen for mental health issues because they are often a suicidal patient’s only connection to the health care system.
The state’s suicide rate has soared to a 19-year high. The latest data places it fifth-highest in the nation.
New Mexico’s budget for fiscal year 201