Grantee Categories: Garrett Lee Smith Tribal

Purdue University

The purpose of ALIVE (Awareness Linking Individuals to Valuable Education) @ Purdue is to prevent adverse outcomes (i.e., suicide, suicide attempts, academic attrition) for students with depression and suicide risk by increasing the likelihood that they will be connected with appropriate services. ALIVE @ Purdue is designed to initiate a comprehensive environmental change around attitudes toward help seeking. The theory-based project involves the innovative use of graduate students in counseling as educators to train resident assistants and provide direct outreach to students in residence halls, enhanced by the implementation of a supporting media campaign. ALIVE @ Purdue has the potential to reach 11,000 students a year with its message.

ALIVE Purdue has two specific goals. Goal one is to increase the likelihood that RAs will identify and refer at-risk students. Goal two is to improve the help-seeking behavior of at-risk students. To accomplish these goals, ALIVE @ Purdue will design and deliver RA training and direct outreach programs and a media campaign (Web sites, public service announcements, bulletin board kits, ads on Facebook.com, etc.) that address (a) knowledge about mental health and behavioral problems and resources, (b) attitudes toward help seeking, and (c) skills in referring at-risk students. The program uses the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB, Ajzen, 1991) as a theoretical framework to guide program development and evaluation. Graduate students in College Student Personnel and Counseling Psychology will be trained as ALIVE @ Purdue Educators to deliver RA training and outreach programs.

The division of program activities into these two goals, while necessary for clarity of program delivery and evaluation, obscures the synergistic nature of the ALIVE @ Purdue program. The components of ALIVE @ Purdue work together to increase RAs’ effectiveness as mental health gatekeepers. The program provides RAs with enhanced training in the areas of suicide, suicide risk, and the art of referral; it also provides them with previously non-existing tools in the form of outreach programming and the media campaign. The media campaign creates greater receptivity on the part of students at risk to outreach efforts and to RA referrals.

ALIVE @ Purdue represents a collaborative effort between the academic programs in College Student Personnel and Counseling Psychology and Purdue’s Counseling and Psychological Services center with support and cooperation from University Residences, Purdue’s Assessment Research Center, and the Lafayette Crisis Center.

Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation  (OSPF) is pleased  to present  Ohio’s Campaign  for Hope, developed in response to SAMHSA’s State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention Cooperative Agreements. Ohio’s Campaign will provide a multi-pronged approach of suicide prevention initiatives,  serving Ohio’s at-risk youth  (ages 15 to 24) as well  as the  adults  who serve them. OSPF will equip, mobilize and support its statewide network of Suicide Prevention Coalitions to assure the engagement of community stakeholders as well as the delivery of locale sensitive, culturally  competent  services. At-risk  populations, including  youth residing  in high risk counties, military  families as well  as youth  involved  in the  foster care and juvenile justice systems and GLBT communities will be targeted with trans-formative services. Sadly, Ohio has rate of youth suicide that exceeds the national average; suicide is the third leading cause of death for the targeted  age population.   Evidence  based  practices  form the core of the initiatives  that will initially focus on the twenty counties of highest need. Evidence based practices to be coordinated through the Coalition network and OSPF project staff include Kognito’s At Risk for High  School  Educators  and Military  Families, an on-line, interactive  gatekeeper training program for adult serving youth, Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk, a suicide-specific professional  development program  for mental health professionals,  and the youth  suicide riskassessment  tools – Teen Screen and  Signs of Suicide.  OSPF will  also market  and promote the National Lifeline  information  and resources  in a cadre of different  manners. OSFP anticipates that 20,000 adult serving youth will be served through the three year program implementation program and that I 0,000 youth will participate in suicide risk assessments. Those determined to be at-risk will receive follow up and referral services to assure active and timely  engagement in the community-based  mental  health  system.  OSPF will  also engage  former GLS grant participants that are community based mental health centers to serve as peer mentors to assist communities throughout the State in successful engagement and tracking of at-risk youth as they access local treatment services.  External evaluation  of Ohio’s Campaign will be completed  by the research team at Case Western  Reserve  University.

Northwest Missouri State University

Northwest Missouri State University is a four-year state assisted regional university. We currently have approximately 7,000 students. This size of campus offers great opportunities for students to succeed socially, as well as academically. With a student to teacher ratio of 21 to 1, you never feel like a number and receive personalized attention from faculty. Our mission statement is, Northwest Missouri State University focuses on student success – every student, every day. For more information go to: http://www.nwmissouri.edu/aboutus/mission.htm

The Northwest Suicide Prevention Project: Project Hope is bringing together faculty, staff, and students at Northwest to reduce suicide and suicide-related behaviors and to promote positive mental health for everyone. The support has been tremendous, and we are making progress to create an even stronger campus culture where all students can flourish. We are currently in our No-Cost extension.

Considering sustainability of our program, we have identified six areas and activities that we would like to have remaining after the grant period. These fall in line with the original goals set forth in our grant. These six items will continue to have an impact on university policy and processes, the utilization of mental health services at Northwest, and the knowledge and attitudes regarding mental health issues and suicide among Northwest students. These items are as follows:

  1. Continue Life skills presentations
  2. Trainings for Students faculty and staff – online and in person – Continue to increase the % of students who have received in person training or are willing to complete online suicide prevention training.
  3. BIT team continuation, support from the university and collaboration with the community
  4. Educational and promotional items so students, faculty and staff know Project Hope/Suicide Prevention programming exists at Northwest
  5. Continue to increase % of students seeking assistance for suicidal thoughts/attempts.
  6. Student Involvement through TWLOHA, Peer Ed and other Student Organizations

We have had great success in training students, faculty and staff, since the inception of our SAMHSA grant. We have established everlasting relationships with other departments to help with sustainability after our funding is complete. Through the advisory board we have been able to develop, sustainability will truly be a reality. We have learned that sustainability is an important aspect of the project from the beginning. Additionally, developing a consistent message for the entire campus community to buy into has been important. Student involvement has been a key element to the success of our grant through programming and feedback. We are more than willing to share with others any experiences and lessons learned during the grant period.

Native Americans for Community Action, Inc.

Native Americans for Community Action, Inc. (NACA), located in Flagstaff, Arizona will provide youth suicide prevention programming throughout Coconino County and the Hopi Tribe NACAs youth suicide prevention program will build upon previous Substance Abuse andMental Health Services (SAMHSA) Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) efforts to reduce the rates of suicide and suicide attempts in these communities. Existing resources such as key partnership, acohort of suicide prevention trainers, and the Northern Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition will aid in the implementation of project goals. Five distinct, yet interconnected goals have beendeveloped to improve and increase outreach, access to services, resources, collaboration and surveillance.

These goals are:

Goal 1: Increase participation in and access to treatment and prevention services for American Indian youth in Northern Arizona.

Goal 2: Provide an evidence-based, culturally sensitive follow-up program through the delivery of the CAST curriculum to youth identified as at-risk in Coconino County and on the Hopi Reservation to youth who screened at-risk through primary care screenings,Juvenile Court Screenings, and the NACA screening program.

Goal 3: Provide early prevention to American Indian youth through leadership development and peer support.

Goal 4: Improve agency capacity throughout Northern Arizona to identify, refer, serve,and follow-up with at risk American Indian youth ages 10-24 through the implementation of Zero Suicide Initiatives.

Goal 5: Develop a local surveillance system for Coconino County that includes data around suicide-related deaths, and non-lethal suicide attempts.

These goals will work in conjunction with one another to promote protective factors and reduce the risk for youth suicide. The primary intent of this project is to identify, refer, follow-up and serve American Indian youth ages 10- 24 years old. Based on existing support, partnerships,and feasibility, this program will focus its efforts on American Indian populations primarily within Coconino County, which includes Navajo Nation communities and the Hopi Tribe,located in Navajo County.

Native American Rehabilitation Association of NW (NARA)

Life is Sacred (formerly known as the Native Youth Suicide Prevention Program) began in the Fall of 2005 upon the receipt of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  The applicant, Native American Rehabilitation Association, Northwest (NARA) was the only American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) grantee the first year.  Today, NARA is requesting a three-year grant to continue its quest to reach out and influence the lives of Native boys and girls throughout Oregon.

Life is Sacred (LIS) proposes to fortify its Oregon suicide prevention network, which connects nine Tribes, one university and a large urban Indian population, by using evidence-based practices to prevent suicides in Native youth between the ages of 10-24.  LIS will also expand the targeted population to include Native LGBT youth in the four-county Portland metropolitan area.  The purpose of this initiative is to reduce risk factors for, and promote protective factors against, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth suicide.

For the past six years, Native communities throughout Oregon have implemented a wide range of innovative products and activities—from trainings to cultural activities aimed at building protective factors in youth, to collecting data on youth early identified as being at risk for suicide.  This foundation has created a network of professionals connected to evidence-based training and culturally significant activities aimed at identifying, supporting, and treating at risk Native youth.  This “network” will be enhanced by:  adding more QPR and ASIST trained individuals from various walks of life who come in contact with Native youth where they live, go to school and recreate; developing a policy and protocol “menu” Tribal representatives can use to build consistent practice from community to community; using internet video technology to bring a child psychiatrist into the offices of rural professionals and Tribal leaders providing weekly consultation to communities that have little or no mental health resources; adding two new evidence-based practices—Project Venture and American Indian Life Skills—both Native specific prevention and intervention programs new to the Portland metropolitan area; and by sponsoring a Native Youth Conference for 400 students in year three of the grant.  This conference will emphasize QPR youth training and peer/individual/family and community level protective factors in multi-day workshops and keynote presentations.

LIS will touch the lives of each youth associated with a reservation, or with communities in the four-county metropolitan Portland area, or with Portland State University’s United Indian Students in Education by directly serving approximately 270 youth a year, or 800 Native youth over the three years of the grant.

Monmouth University

Promoting Wellness and Resiliency on Campus at Monmouth University is a university and community partnership program whose purpose is to enhance prevention, identification, and service utilization for all students, particularly those with mental and behavioral health problems which elevate their risk for suicide ideation, attempts and completions.

The program is targeted to the entire student population at Monmouth University. Through a series of activities and programs, the University will enhance its established infrastructure and community partnerships with a public awareness campaign and education/ training targeted at individuals poised to respond and prevent student suicide at the university via universal, selective and indicated prevention. By the end of the grant, it is expected that over 700 gatekeepers and providers and the student body of 6,400 will be offered training in mental health and suicide awareness, identification and referral/help-seeking and exposed to public awareness messages.

Goal 1: To improve identification and referral of students at risk.
Objective 1: Increase number of adult gatekeepers who are trained and knowledgeable in mental health and suicide prevention and assessment       
Objective 2: Increase number of student gatekeepers trained and knowledgeable in mental health and suicide prevention and assessment
Objective 3: Increase the knowledge of mental health and suicide risk among gatekeepers
Objective 4: Increase the knowledge of mental health and suicide risk among students
Objective 5: Implement SPRC’s Interactive Suicide Program with a sub-group of freshman

Goal 2: Improve help-seeking of students at risk for suicide
Objective 2.1: Increase collaboration among campus and community partners to deliver the message that suicide prevention is everyone’s responsibility                
Objective 2.2: Reduce stigma for seeking care for mental and behavioral health issues among students
Objective 2.3:  Increase visibility of National Suicide Prevention Lifeline hotline numbers

Goal 3: Improve the mental health services available for students at risk for suicide
Objective 3.1:  Increase on- and off- campus clinicians knowledge of mental health and suicide awareness
Objective 3.2:  Increase on- and off- campus clinicians ability to assess and refer youth at risk for suicide to mental health treatment
Objective 3.3: Increase on- and off-campus clinicians’ knowledge of and effectiveness in implementing a safety plan for youth at risk for suicide.
Objective 3.4: Increase on- and off-campus mental health therapists in knowledge and utilization of CBT for depression and suicide prevention

Goal 4: Follow crisis management procedures.
Objective 4.2: Monmouth Medical Center Crisis line to become a National call center.

Missouri Department of Mental Health

The purpose of the “Missouri Youth Suicide Prevention Project” (MYSPP) is to create a statewide youth suicide prevention response using evidence-based practices and grounded in public/private collaboration. The three major goals for the State & Tribe Youth Suicide Prevention Grant activities are:

1.Transitioning to a sustainable statewide community-based infrastructure that supports a range of suicide prevention activities, including increasing awareness and identification;

2.Enhancing the ability of the youth service system to identify and respond to youth at-risk for suicide; and

3.Improving access to mental health services and the ability to respond to increasing needs.

Target populations are staff and providers from youth serving organizations and Missouri youth and young adults between ages of 10 and 24, with an emphasis on youth who are part of a high-risk population as determined by living in an area with a suicide rate higher than the national or state average; a higher number of suicides than the state average, a self-reported attempt rate higher than the state average (including college-aged youth); or belonging to any subgroup with known high-risk characteristics such as increased substance use, veterans of the armed services, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth (LGBT), or youth who have already attempted suicide. Activities will include a combination of both statewide interventions and intensive services targeting five distinct regions of the state. The MYSPP will provide direct services to an average of 7,000 individuals annually, and approximately 21,000 over the life of the grant.

The project will be administered by the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH) and independently evaluated by the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, a part of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The independent evaluation will assist DMH in assuring youth suicide prevention interventions are evidence based and tailored to the particular needs of Missouri communities.

Miami Dade College

Miami Dade College’s ASAP (Access to Suicide Awareness and Prevention) Program will provide suicide awareness and prevention activities across all eight of the college’s campuses, reaching its diverse population of more than 164,000 students.  As the largest and most diverse college in the nation, Miami Dade College, located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, has designed the ASAP Program with the overall goal of preventing substance abuse and mental illness and reducing the risk of suicide attempts and completions.  In its first year, through community collaborations, the program will create a network infrastructure that can meet the needs of students with behavioral health issues.  In addition, a core group of 20 faculty and staff will be trained as QPR Gatekeeper Trainers.  Through these two primary implementation year activities, a foundation will be established for the substantial scale-up of the program in following years.  In the second year, over 15,000 students, their families, friends, and faculty and staff will be reached, including 400 faculty and staff who will receive gatekeeper training.  An additional 15,000 persons will be reached in the program’s third year through the continuation of educational seminars, distribution of information, promoting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and campus-specific activities to raise awareness.

The ASAP Program’s objectives are to develop college-wide policies that support suicide prevention programs with a direct link to the College’s current behavioral threat assessment; reduce the stigma associated with mental health and behavioral health issues college-wide in a culturally competent manner and reaching special populations; and to promote help seeking among those at-risk, as well as increasing the knowledge base of the college community to facilitate awareness and early identification of mental and behavioral health issues.  All of the program’s activities have been formulated to meet the needs of the commuter college aspect of Miami Dade College and to provide flexibility in implementation across the institution’s eight campuses, which each have a uniquely diverse student population makeup.  By the end of the grant period, the ASAP Program will be fully sustainable and institutionalized for the benefit of future Miami Dade College students, their families, friends, and the overall community.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health

The Massachusetts Youth Suicide Prevention Project is working to reduce the rate of suicide mortality and morbidity among young people ages 10-24 in three Community Health Network Areas (CHNAs) of the state identified as having youth suicide rates or rates of non-fatal self-inflicted injury higher than those in the state and nation. Each of the three CHNAs formed a design team/steering committee to take the lead in strategic planning. Goals were organized around the following five prevention areas: Community Outreach and Awareness, Early Identification and Referral, Infrastructure Development, Policy and Protocol Development, and Prevention Services.

Community Outreach and Awareness

  1. Implemented Photovoice project with LGBTQ youth to assess the needs of youth and engage community leaders in a dialogue about the mental health needs of youth.
  2. Organized and facilitated several community forums for adults and youth, reaching hundreds.
  3. Minority mental health forums were held to discuss the mental health of Latino, Black, Hmong and LGBT communities in the area.
  4. Materials were developed by youth, including wallet resource cards, frisbees, water bottles and stress balls with crisis phone numbers, have been widely distributed.

Early Identification and Referral

  1. Implementing SOS and Teen Screen in middle and high schools.
  2. Providing QPR and/or awareness trainings for providers and priority populations, including clergy, EMTs, LGBTQ youth and organizations, middle school, high school and college staff, and youth-serving agencies.

Policy and Protocol Development

  1. Providing consultation/training to school staff in implementing protocols and procedures for responding to youth suicidal behavior and re-entry protocols following a suicide attempt.
  2. Held Post Traumatic Stress Management (PTSM) Training for community leaders to respond to a sudden death crisis situation.

Infrastructure Development

  1. Creation, development and/or expansion of Regional Suicide Prevention Coalitions.
  2. Building partnerships with the community.
  3. Supporting schools that have and wish to create Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs).
  4. Coordinating and supporting school and agency staff training on supporting LGBTQ youth.

Postvention Services

  • Trained survivors to facilitate local suicide specific bereavement groups, and implemented and currently holding several bereavement groups for survivors of suicide.
  • Hosted several National Survivors of Suicide Day events.

Kawerak, Inc

Kawarak, Inc. in partnership with Maniilaq Association, Norton Sound Behavioral Services, Bering Strait Schools and Northwest Arctic Borough Schools will create the Northern Alaska Welness Initiative (NAWI), a multi-faceted, culturally relevant suicide prevention initiative aimed at 27 Alaska Native communities located above and below the Arctic Circle where the highest suicide rates in Alaska and the nation have been reported. This groundbreaking partnership will lead the State in efforts to maximize resources, knowledge and research. The primary goal for this program is to create and implement comprehensive tribal suicide prevention and early intervention strategies with the purpose of reducing the staggeringly high rates of attempted suicides and deaths among youth and young adults in Alaska’s Bering Strait Region and Northwest Arctic Borough. To do this, NAWI will utilize a variety of culturally responsive practices to build a comprehensive program that engages multiple generations to address village needs and promote youth well-being. NAWI will deliver youth-oriented programs that have been piloted in targeted villages on a limited basis with Elder guidance and promoted positive outcomes for participants. Training in Applied Suicide Intervention Skill Training and Alaska Gatekeeper TrainingSchool-Based Wellness WorkshopsSummer Youth Culture Camps for high risk youth and mentor development Peer Leader programming expanded and enhanced to include increased training, community outreach, and involvement with younger students – students identify community member support teamsVillage Wellness Groups – focused on capacity-building and empowerment