Thursday, April 18, 2024
4/18/2024
Massachusetts’ rate of suicide is low nationally, but has been steadily growing. The purpose of this application is to strengthen and expand the MA Department of Public Health (MDPH) Suicide Prevention Program’s (SPP) coalitions, communication initiatives, and training programs to better prevent suicidality and suicide among MA’s highest risk group, men of working age, especially those who are in high-risk occupations, and those who are Latinx in high-risk communities. The grant will also be used to strengthen the MDPH’s Epidemiology resources to identify the occupation of people lost to suicide, and its Communication resources to more closely coordinate with SPP initiatives. MDPH plans to achieve a 10% reduction in suicides by men and Latinx men by project end, through increasing their help seeking and treatment engagement, and decreasing the number experiencing depression, suicidality, and suicide attempts. Short-term outcomes for this project include, but are not limited to: increased knowledge of suicide risk and response skills; increased communication and collaboration between community organizations; increased understanding of men’s needs and preferences in treatment; reduction in conduct problems; and increased receipt of case management services by uninsured clients. Intermediate outcomes include but are not limited to: increased healthy days; increased culturally appropriate suicide treatment tools for Latinx men; increased use of mental health services; reduced suicide risk behaviors; and increased employment. MA has a comprehensive suicide prevention program with strong legislative and community support. It has revised its Statewide Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention (Statewide Plan), currently in draft form, to incorporate considerations of racial justice and social determinants of health and include formerly missing elements of the National Strategic Plan. SPP has selected strategies from each tier of the CDC technical package that align with its Statewide Plan, fill gaps in the state’s suicide prevention policies and practices, and address the unique needs of the targeted vulnerable groups. Strategies include: Identify and support people at risk, through gatekeeper trainings and initiating occupational data coding of suicide data; Promote connectedness, through community conversations, and updates to the MassMen website; Strengthen access and delivery of suicide care, through focus groups and cultural competency trainings; Teach coping and problem-solving skills through implementation of Signs of Suicide and Good Behavior Game in schools; and Strengthen economic supports through inventory and dissemination of case management resources. The partners necessary to carry out this program are both internal to MDPH and external. A Project Team will be formed to include members from the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention and its Alliance for Equity, the Department of Mental Health, Behavioral Scientist/Evaluation Team, key community partners with expertise in working with men and Latinx population, and SPP’s communication specialist. SPP’s communication strategy is to develop messaging specific to its high-risk target population of men and Latinx men, with the objective of increasing the acceptability of behavioral health services to men at high risk of suicide, while helping existing suicide prevention media campaigns reach a broader audience. The Evaluation Team will document key process steps, the integration of strategic activities into a comprehensive, coordinated approach, and measure the impact of specific activities and the project as a whole.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
