MS GLS19 is a collaboration between the MS Department of Mental Health, Mississippi State University and Region 8 Mental Health aimed at reducing youth suicides by providing: a) expanded suicide awareness and gatekeeper training for families, schools, communities and youth-serving organizations statewide; b) improved identification and clinical services for at-risk youth; and c) the development of statewide rapid response postvention services. The project will: 1) increase the number of youth-serving organizations who are able to identify and refer youth at risk of suicide by providing gatekeeper training to at least 5,000 educators, childcare professionals, community care providers, and individuals in foster care and juvenile justice agencies annually; 2) increase the capacity of clinical service providers to assess, manage, and treat youth at risk of suicide by referring at-risk youth for mental health care services within 24 hours of suicide screening completion; 3) improve the continuity of care and follow-up of youth identified to be at risk for suicide, including those who have been discharged from emergency department and inpatient psychiatric units by providing statewide postvention training to at least 1,000 family members, friends, educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, substance use disorder programs, mental health programs, foster care systems, and other child and youth support organizations annually; and 4) provide postvention support services for families statewide within 24 hours of notice of suicide death or attempt. This project will build upon and integrate initiatives developed by DMH and MSU under previous Garrett Lee Smith grant-funded projects, Shatter the Silence awareness and prevention campaign (DMH), and The Alliance Project gatekeeper training (MSU). The project will serve an estimated 6,000 people annually (30,000 over five years) with suicide awareness and prevention, gatekeeper and postvention trainings to families, schools, communities and youth-serving organizations. Region 8 Mental Health expects to provide continued mental health services a total of 2,130 students over five years within its five-county catchment area through employment of school-based therapists who will conduct suicide and mental health screenings and make appropriate referrals to treatment services. An estimated 32,130 Mississippians will be served in some capacity through the grant activities over the course of five years.
Grantee Types: Garrett Lee Smith State
Minnesota Department of Health
The population of focus is all youth and young adults age 10-24 throughout Minnesota; while prioritizing American Indian youth and tribal communities. Having our program provide supports for the entire state, while targeting communities of increased risk, allows for the grantfunded coordinators and liaisons to address emerging issues over the course of the five year funding and beyond.
Goal number one is to make suicide prevention a core component of behavioral/health care services that will decrease suicide by 10% in 5 years, 20% in 10 years working towards zero deaths. By fundamentally changing the organizations provide care and work with other providers will have lasting impact after the funding period ends.
Goal number two is to implement effective programs to increase communities’ capacity to identify youth at risk and connect them to the coordinated and competent behavioral/health care system to decrease the number of medically-treated suicide attempts. By working with local professionals and caregivers to build the necessary skills to identify youth and risk and know of local resources available to support the youth, we will be build a community of gatekeepers.
To assist those who are trained to identify persons at increased risk, we are going to also work very closely with youth-serving institutions to change their policies and procedures for providing training to their staff and also for connecting youth to services once identified. For example, we will be working with higher education institutions to use the Jed & Clinton Health Matters Program Framework for comprehensive, sustainable approach to preventing suicides in our college settings.
Goal number three is to support healthy and empowered individuals, families and communities to increase protection from suicide risk. We will be working closely with schools and youth serving organizations to prioritize building protective factors in our youth. The curriculums we selected for schools to implement encourage these protective factors:
• Family and community support (connectedness)
• Supportive ongoing medical and mental health care relationships
• Skills in problem solving, conflict resolution, and nonviolent ways of handling disputes
Building the above supports and protective factors will have lasting impact for the youth involved our programming, well beyond just suicide prevention
Michigan
TYSP-Mi3 will impact rates of youth/young adult suicide by establishing suicide prevention as a core priority in Michigan Child Welfare (CW) system and a growing network of Emergency Departments (EDs) TYSP-Mi3 will increase numbers of gatekeepers and clinical service providers trained in evidence-based prevention strategies and support communities in strengthening local efforts. TYSP-Mi3 capitalizes on a strong track record of public health and academic expertise and unique statewide partnerships. Building on the base established with current GLS State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention funding, TYSP-Mi3 program goals are: Goal 1–Build a statewide network of EDs that consider suicide prevention a core priority and consequently implement evidence-based assessment, intervention, continuity of care, and follow-up strategies for youth at risk for suicide and their families. Goal 2–Partner with Michigan’s CW agency to advance and sustain suicide prevention training, screening, and referral practices, with a focus on the state’s foster care system. Goal 3–Strategically embed a cadre of trained gatekeepers and clinical service providers within Michigan’s youth serving workforce who consistently use evidence-based practices. Goal 4–Support local communities to implement suicide prevention best practices tailored to community needs via technical assistance, training, and educational and funding opportunities. Goal 5–Enhance the availability of resources and training for postvention services in the state. Populations of focus include 1) youth ages 10-24 seeking emergency services and 2) CW-involved youth. The University of Michigan’s Psychiatric Emergency Service (PES) will serve as a Technical Assistance Center to support dissemination and implementation of suicide assessment, brief intervention , and continuity of care strategies to at least eight general medical EDs across the state. The program’s current CW collaboration will continue, focusing on 1) training, policy, protocol, and referral network development to support the CW workforce as suicide prevention gatekeepers, as well as 2) expanding screening of youth entering foster care, with a goal of moving screening statewide. Via school, CMH, and community partnerships, youth serving professionals will participate in safeTALK, ASIST, and AMSR to strengthen the network of persons able and willing to help a youth/young adult in crisis. A new Postvention Work Group will be established to improve care for loss survivors. Government and non-governmental work groups will continue to advise the program and each other to enhance communication and strategic planning to ensure a “”Suicide-Safe Michigan.””
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
The goals of the MA Youth Suicide Prevention Project are: to create Suicide-Safe Centers of Care to enhance effective treatment and care management of youth at-risk; to develop Suicide-Safe Communities in which prevention and early identification are priorities and treatment and support are available; and to ensure suicide prevention is integrated into state systems to create a Suicide-Safe Commonwealth.
The purpose of the MA Youth Suicide Prevention Project is to reduce the rate of suicide attempts and suicide completions among youth ages 10-24. Two regional hospitals will implement Zero Suicide standards of organizational and clinical practice. Training to enhance treatment skills of clinical and behavioral health providers in treating suicide risk in youth will result in more effective prevention, early intervention and follow-up care for youth and young adults. The high risk populations of focus in these two areas include: rural youth, youth with mental illness and substance abuse disorders, LGBT youth, young veterans, victimized youth and youth who have considered or attempted suicide. Activities in communities focus on strengthening capacities to provide prevention services and early identification, referral and treatment of youth at- risk for suicide through work with schools, colleges and community organizations. System change statewide will be effected by the creation of a Learning Collaborative with the Department of Mental Health and the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership (the Medicaid payor for 1200 providers) for the implementation of Zero Suicide standards and by working with youth serving state agencies to integrate suicide prevention into their services and those of their providers.
Measurable impacts:
1) Increase in identification, referral and treatment of at-risk youth
2) Reduced rates of suicide
3) Reduced rates of suicide attempts
4) Youth voice in strategic planning
147,652 people will be served (29,531 annually) throughout the efforts of this grant.
Maine
Suicide prevention and early intervention is essential to support the safety and well-being of Maine young people during adolescence and into adulthood. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MCDC) proposes to implement Project STAY (Support, Treatment, and Access for Youth) to support prevention, universal and indicated screening, evidence-based treatment, and coordination of care for youth at risk of suicide. To achieve these outcomes, MCDC will implement the following goals and objectives: Goal 1: Increase the number of schools and youth-serving organizations implementing evidence-based early intervention and suicide prevention policies and practices to identify and respond to youth with unmet mental health needs. Goal 2: Increase care management, access to mental health services, and follow-up for youth at high risk of suicide or suicide attempts. Goal 3: Increase the number of educators, care providers, and youth-serving professionals trained in evidence-based practices for screening, assessment, treatment, and follow-up of young people at risk of suicide. Goal 4: Increase help-seeking and improve youth access to care by promoting innovative outreach strategies, including crisis text services and peer-to-peer interventions. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a long history of engaging with community partners to provide innovative suicide prevention interventions across many sectors. We believe that Project STAY will have a positive impact on the well-being of our communities by reducing Maine’s rate of suicide deaths and suicide attempts.
Idaho State Department of Education
The Idaho Lives Project (ILP), a program of the Idaho State Department of Education, serves Idaho’s youth (to age 24) by building resiliency and well-being, creating connectedness and training to intervene with suicidal ideation, and providing services to support youth, families and schools. Through activities targeting youth, ILP will affect all ages of Idahoans with the intent to eradicate suicide in the state. Though it will require effort from all stakeholders in Idaho to accomplish Zero Suicide, with the 2019 Garrett Lee Smith Grant, ILP will provide opportunities for schools to build connectedness and resilience and to ensure youth receive the support they need by adding the Sources of Strength program. The Project will provide for behavioral health clinicians to assess, refer, and provide follow-up care for youth with suicide ideation / attempts, especially in rural areas which may lack access to services, and will provide best-practice postvention support to schools, if needed. Considering that research show young adult attempters benefit from peer-to-peer groups, the behavioral health clinicians will create and co-lead groups for young adult attempters. Suicide loss survivor packets will be provided to schools and families that suffer loos to suicide. As most mental / medical health providers typically receive little suicide prevention training, ILP will contract with David Rudd, Ph.D. to train licensed professionals in assessing and treating suicidal clients in culturally-appropriate ways. This training also will be provided to college mental / medical health program students. Under Goal 2, adults in the schools and other youth-serving organizations will receive gatekeeper training to be able to intervene with and support youth with suicidal ideation. ILP will also provide support to increase text and chat services at the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline (ISPH). As transition times are difficult for youth and young adults, under Goal 3, ILP will collaborate with Sources of Strength school teams, universities and colleges, and post-high school job-serving agencies to provide templates to increase belongingness and connectedness among youth. Early intervention materials will be sent to elementary schools to augment their social and emotional learning programs. Under Goal 4, ILP will build and maintain partnerships with youth-serving organizations, state agencies, suicide prevention organizations, including the ISPF, the Department of Health and Welfare’s Suicide Prevention Program, and colleges and universities. ILP will also work with SAMHSA- sponsored Technology Transfer Centers to consult on training programs around the Northwest. Under Goal 5, all programs and activities will be monitored, and data collected to ensure fidelity and efficacy. The number of Idahoans serviced by the activities will be a minimum of 1,000 in year one and a minimum of 7,000 by the end of year five. Data collected from the activities and interventions will be regularly evaluated and shared with SAMHSA as well as with ILP stakeholders and adjustments made through continuous quality improvement to assure continued outcomes toward Zero Suicide.
Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center (GBHWC)
The Guam Focus on Life Program (GFOL) is a strategic effort led by the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center (GBHWC) to increase suicide prevention, intervention and postvention skills among direct service providers and natural helpers, to break the stigma on mental health and help-seeking, and to improve the standards of suicide-safe care for at risk youth ages 10-24. Building upon the successful outcomes of the 2008 and 2012 iterations of the grant, GBHWC will continue to use the 2019 GLS State/Tribal Youth Suicide Grant to reach this target population, which comprises 26% of Guam’s total population; with particular focus on youth experiencing grief, feelings of pain and loss, or suicide thoughts and behavior. GFOL has three fundamental goals: 1) At risk youth experiencing grief and feelings of pain and loss, or having suicidal thoughts and behaviors openly seek help from natural helpers and appropriate behavioral health services; 2) GBHWC, the island’s mental health agency, transforms its culture and services to achieve excellence in providing patient safety and safer suicide care; 3) Guam’s youth-serving providers operate in an integrated system of care that safely responds to individuals at risk for suicide. To pursue these goals, GBHWC is committed to achieving these objectives under GFOL. By 2024, 500 natural helpers will be trained to identify and refer at risk youth to appropriate services through evidence-based programs. GBHWC will revise Guam’s Youth Suicide Strategic Prevention and Intervention Plan to incorporate epidemiological inferences based on qualitative data offered by youth and adults with lived experience surviving either suicide loss or suicide attempt. In partnership with the University of Guam, GBHWC will add depth to the annual suicide statistics report by including researched qualitative data to inform future strategies on risk and protective factors that are unique to the island community. GFOL will also invest in at least three evidence-based programs that will normalize positive coping skills and increase help-seeking behavior among at risk youth, specifically those in Guam’s public school system, those completing their treatment from the local hospitals and psychiatric patient units, and those receiving support from youth-serving organizations. GFOL will utilize the Zero Suicide Framework (ZSF) to improve GBHWC’s ability to provide evidence based suicide-safer care to patients. By 2024, GFOL will implement the ZSF in all aspects of GBHWC’s services; including its local crisis hotline to operate as a member of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) network, receiving at least 70% of NSPL calls from the island locally. Lastly, GFOL will establish a Suicide Prevention Task Force, made up of key direct service providers for youth at risk for suicide, work collaboratively to ensure that they are trained to identify, screen, refer, treat and follow-up on at risk youth, creating a synergetic support system. All proposed objectives and strategies for GFOL will be continuously evaluated and improved for effectiveness to reach a total of 2,646 in Year 1, 13,550 for the life of the GLS grant.
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Georgia Suicide Safer Communities for Youth will focus on youth ages10 to 24 years living in three Georgia counties (Bartow, Newton and Oconee) with youth suicide death rates higher than the national average of 8.02 for the years from 2011-2013. Selected populations of focus will include African American youth, youth suicide attempters, and family members of youth who have been identified with suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. Community assessments in each county will help identify county specific populations of focus. It is estimated that 1,000 will be served annually and 5,000 over the life of the 5-year project.
Strategies/Interventions: Through training, outreach, and implementation of evidence-based practices, the Suicide Safer Communities for Youth project will build infrastructure and increase the suicide specific continuum of care that will result in reductions in the number and rates of suicide deaths and number and rate of non-fatal suicide attempts among youth ages 10-24 in three targeted counties with suicide death rates higher than the national average. A Zero Suicide in Healthcare licensed clinical supervisor will be hired in each county to oversee development and integration of the community and clinical suicide prevention efforts. A Zero Suicide in Healthcare certified peer specialist (ZSH-CPS) in Bartow, Newton, and Oconee counties will integrate the voice of lived experience into ongoing suicide prevention efforts. Proposed evidence-based practices will include Question, Persuade, Refer Gatekeeper Training; Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths-Mental Health; The Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment; Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale; Suicide Safety Plan; Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicide; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention; and DiDi Hirsch Youth Suicide Attempters Group. The Georgia College and University Suicide Prevention Coalition will provide 1) a yearly Suicide Prevention Conference for Colleges and Universities, 2) three additional suicide prevention training opportunities a year and 3) assessment, data collection, tracking and evaluation services for the College Coalition.
Project Goals and Measureable Objectives, including Number to be Enrolled: The Suicide Safer Communities project will be guided by 5 of the 13 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention goals and their objectives, including: Goal 1: Develop, implement, and monitor effective programs that promote wellness and prevent suicide related behaviors. Goal 2: Provide training to 3,500 community and clinical service providers on prevention of suicide and related behaviors. Goal 3: Promote suicide prevention as a core component of health care services. Goal 4: Promote and implement effective clinical and professional practices for assessing and treating 1,500 youth identified as being at risk for suicidal behaviors. Goal 5: Provide care and support to individuals affected by suicide deaths and attempts to promote healing and implement community strategies to help prevent further suicides.
Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
Connecticut’s Networks of Care for Suicide Prevention (NCSP) application proposes to establish a Statewide Network of Care (SNC) for suicide prevention, intervention and response, and implement an intensive community-based effort to reduce non-fatal suicide attempts and suicide deaths among at risk youth age 10-24. The SNC will be comprised of five regional, and one community network in the town of Manchester which will be the focus of an intensive community-based effort. The NCSP will embed suicide prevention as a core priority in CT and utilize interventions that are data and quality-driven, sustainable, culturally competent, formalized, uniformed, and accountable with the capacity and readiness to provide services in anorganized and timely fashion. The CT Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Children and Families, and Public Health, with the guidance of the CT Suicide Advisory Board(CTSAB), will co-direct the NCSP and partner with Community Health Resources; United Wayof CT-National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Provider; Manchester-Public Schools, Police Department, Community College; Eastern CT Health Network; and the UConn Health Center as evaluator.The NCSP will serve an unduplicated total of 1,333 annually and 6,669 over 5-years of diverse youth and young adults age 10-24 and supportive adults representative of the CT population with emphasis on young people identified at increased risk of suicide and who have attempted suicide.
NCSP goals and objectives are aligned with CT’s Suicide Prevention Plan 2020 and the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, prioritizing goals 8 and 9. The NCSP will utilize the primary EBPs of the Zero Suicide approach, Jed Foundation/Suicide Prevention Resource Center Model for Comprehensive Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Promotion, SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework, and other EBPs related to their implementation, including gatekeeperand workforce development strategies and effective clinical and professional practices for assessing and treating those identified as being at risk for suicidal behaviors. The NCSP will build on current CT suicide and substance abuse prevention infrastructure, resources, coalitions, services, and strategies; experience gained from two prior CT youth suicide prevention cooperative agreement grants; strong relationships and partnerships within the CTSAB; and other federal and state-funded initiatives with shared missions, goals and objectives. Priority populations will be provided opportunities for direct input through the networks to ensure that their unique needs are identified and met, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will be promoted through the statewide ‘1 WORD, 1 VOICE, 1 LIFE’ campaign. Baseline measures will be established, and NCSP efforts will be closely monitored and evaluated for continuous quality improvement and statewide impact.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Connecting Youth Networks of Care-Colorado (CYNC-CO) will reduce the burden of suicide among Colorado youth ages 10-24 by implementing comprehensive suicide prevention and early intervention strategies in eight Colorado counties with high youth suicide death and/or attempt rates. CYNC-CO will serve 41,668 youth and youth-serving adults over the five year project, emphasizing targeting at -risk youth, including LGBTQ and Hispanic youth, youth engaged in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, youth in college, and youth from military families or serving in the military. The project will include increasing coordination among youth-serving institutions including schools, mental health and substance abuse treatment provider systems, juvenile justice/child welfare systems, emergency department/hospital systems, and other youth-serving organizations. The Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) will coordinate all activities.
CYNC-CO will align with the Colorado Mental Health Crisis Services System, community mental health centers, schools, emergency departments, and other youth-serving organizations in the eight project counties. Programs and interventions of focus will include Sources of Strength, QPR gatekeeper training, Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality, Emergency Department Counseling on Access to Lethal Means, an emergency department follow-up program, and the Zero Suicide framework.
CYNC-CO will accomplish the following goals during the five-year project:
- Goal One: Eight Colorado counties with the highest suicide burden will have sustainable suicide intervention and prevention networks targeting youth ages 10-24.
- Goal Two: Increase the number of youth who are identified, assessed for risk and referred for mental health or related intervention.
- Goal Three: Increase the number and percentage of youth receiving mental health or related services after referral.
- Goal Four: Increase the number and percentage of youth receiving follow-up support and services after emergency care.
- Goal Five: Promote system level change through the adoption and implementation of the Zero Suicide framework.
- Goal Six: Promote system level change within schools, emergency departments, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, crisis response services, and youth serving organizations at the community level.
- Goal Seven: Maintain state and community infrastructure to implement applicable sections of the 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
The OSP will conduct process, outcome, and performance evaluations throughout the cooperative agreement, and will contract with the University of Colorado, School of Public Health to design and implement outcome evaluation tools for the life of the project