Project Abstract Summary: The Arkansas Department of Health’s (ADH) Suicide Prevention Program proposes to launch this population-focused Expansion of Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Across Arkansas project to be funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Center’s Expansion of Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Across the U.S., NOFO No. CDC-RFA-CE22-2204.
Our public health approach will effectively expand existing suicide prevention practices in 55 rural counties in Arkansas. This approach will: A) Convene and connect multi-sectoral partners; B) Use data to identify disproportionately affected populations (DAPs), understand contributors to suicide, and track trends in suicide morbidity and mortality; C) Create an inventory of existing suicide prevention programs to assess prevention and response gaps in Arkansas; D) Select and implement complementary strategies and approaches; and E) Develop and implement communication and dissemination plans related to surveillance and programmatic work.
The purpose of this proposed project is to save the lives of at-risk Arkansans. The population of focus is men living in rural counties in Arkansas. Gatekeepers and families of this population will be targeted as well.
Short-term outcomes of this project are: 1) Increased engagement of multi-sectoral partners to support programmatic and surveillance activities; 2) Increased awareness of DAPs, contributors to suicide morbidity and mortality, and emergent trends in suicide morbidity and mortality; 3) Increased use of surveillance data to select DAPs, address contributors to suicide morbidity and mortality, and inform prevention strategy selection; 4) Increased awareness of existing suicide prevention activities and gaps; and 5) Increased awareness of programmatic activities, progress, successes, and lessons learned.
Medium-term outcomes of this project are: 1) Sustained engagement of partners to support surveillance and programmatic activities; 2) Sustained use of surveillance data to inform suicide prevention; 3) Decreased risk factors among DAPs; 4) Increased protective factors among DAPs; and 5) Increased use of timely surveillance data to inform suicide prevention.
Long-term outcomes of this project are 10% reductions in suicide mortality and morbidity among DAPs in Arkansas.