The role of peer support services in caring for those at risk of suicide

Building on the state’s 2015 Strategic Suicide Prevention Plan, which incorporated input from over 150 partners, North Carolina created the 2021-2025 Suicide Prevention Action Plan in collaboration with key agencies and organizations responsible for conducting suicide prevention activities in the state. Each strategy in the action plan designates a lead agency or agencies. Outcomes from the plan are evaluated on an ongoing basis. healthcare, suicide prevention in higher education settings, data and evaluation, and state plan revision. This structure has helped extend the reach of PSW and supported best practices in suicide prevention across sectors. 

In 2018, Virginia passed House Bill No. 569, which appointed the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services (DBHDS) as the state’s lead agency for suicide prevention. The bill also mandated that DBHDS collaborate with community service boards, behavioral health authorities, the Virginia Department of Health, local departments of health, and the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services on suicide prevention activities. The bill required the DBHDS commissioner to provide annual reports to the governor and state’s general assembly.

Minnesota Statute 145.56 requires that chairs of the state’s policy and finance committees receive  biennial reports on the implementation and impact of Minnesota’s Suicide Prevention State Plan.

In 2023, Vermont passed Act 56, which authorized the Vermont Department of Mental Health’s director of suicide prevention to lead the state’s initiatives for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, including partnering with communities and providers to reduce suicide deaths and attempts. The act also mandated the creation and implementation of the state’s first suicide prevention strategic plan and made budget recommendations to support priorities outlined in the plan.

In 2014, Washington’s House Bill 2315 authorized the development of a suicide prevention plan with requirements to involve a steering committee, base the plan on current research, make the plan accessible to the public, and update the plan as needed.

Massachusetts has an $8 million annual budget line item that funds suicide prevention activities. For more information on how the commonwealth secured this support for suicide prevention, see their infrastructure success story: Massachusetts Authorization for Suicide Prevention Funding.

Oklahoma’s Suicide Prevention Act designated the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) as the lead agency for the state’s suicide prevention education and activities. Originally passed to address youth suicide prevention, the law has since been amended to include statewide suicide prevention activities across the lifespan. ODMHSAS provides a variety of training opportunities and includes programs specifically intended for college and university students, veterans, and other populations disproportionately affected by suicide.

Wisconsin appointed a public-private partnership, Prevent Suicide Wisconsin (PSW), to lead suicide prevention in the state. PSW was created during a strategic planning retreat convened by Mental Health America of Wisconsin. The public-private structure of PSW, which is led by a nonprofit organization, allows for flexible organizing strategies. For example, PSW has established different subcommittees and work groups to focus on specific strategies or settings. Examples include groups focused on conference planning, best practices in healthcare, suicide prevention in higher education settings, data and evaluation, and state plan revision. This structure has helped extend the reach of PSW and supported best practices in suicide prevention across sectors.

The Florida Legislature originally created the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention within the Office of the Governor as the state’s official lead agency for suicide prevention. As the state’s suicide prevention infrastructure grew, the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention was moved to the Florida Department of Children and Families. Collaboration and a unified vision across the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention and other agencies and organizations strengthen and support Florida’s efforts to provide a comprehensive suicide prevention approach. The state’s suicide prevention efforts are primarily advanced through the Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council, which is chaired and hosted by the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention. For more information, please visit the department’s suicide prevention website.