DHHS News

CDC Investigation Shows Youth Suicides in Utah Increasing

(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) observed a 141.3% increase in suicides among Utah youth aged 10-17 from 2011 to 2015, compared to an increase...
Last updated: November 30, 2017

News Advisory: CDC Investigation Shows Youth Suicides in Utah Increasing

WHAT: The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) will release the findings of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on youth suicide in Utah. Study...
Last updated: November 29, 2017

Public Health Launches New Campaign to Fight Hepatitis A

(Salt Lake City, UT) – Utah public health officials are investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A linked to a national outbreak involving several other states. Dr. Angela Dunn, deputy state...
Last updated: November 28, 2017

Utah Department of Health Awarded National Accreditation

(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) this week awarded national accreditation status to the Utah Department of Health (UDOH). The national accreditation program, jointly supported...
Last updated: November 21, 2017

Utah’s Rural Hospitals Continue to Buck Nationwide Trend of Closure

(Salt Lake City, UT) – Since 2010, 82 rural hospitals across the country have closed, in part due to changes in policies which tend to reward hospitals that do a...
Last updated: November 8, 2017

Utah Hospitals Show Some Improvement on Healthcare-associated Infections

(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) has released the 2016 report of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in licensed hospitals and dialysis facilities in Utah.* The report...
Last updated: November 2, 2017

Media contacts

For media inquiries, contact our on-call Public Information Officers (PIO) at:

Joe Dougherty, director of communications

News releases and media statements

Spanish news releases and media statements

We strive to provide all news releases and media statements in Spanish. Our language access team can provide translation services by contacting them at languageaccess.utah.gov.  

Our graphic and writing standards

Our agency name is the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Use DHHS if an acronym is needed. 

  • DHHS graphic standards—This guide outlines how to use our logo, colors, fonts, and imagery in printed and electronic media. 
  • DHHS logos 
  • DHHS writing style guide—This guide creates clear and consistent language and tone across all written products, both internal and external to our agency.

Media guides and safe messaging

How we talk about suicide, mental health, and traumatic events matters. When we follow safe messaging guidelines, we contribute to a hopeful narrative about triumph over adversity. We communicate that support is available. Safe messaging promotes resiliency, encourages help-seeking, publicizes prevention successes, and encourages actions to help prevent suicide. 

When writing about suicide, mental health, or traumatic events follow safe messaging guidelines. Here are some of our favorite resources.