Texas

Resilient Youth – Safer Environments (RYSE) will create comprehensive Suicide Safer Early Intervention and Prevention (SSIP) systems to support youth-serving organizations, including Texas (TX) schools, mental health (MH) programs, educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, substance abuse programs, and foster care systems. The target population, youth ages 10 to 24 years at elevated risk of suicide and suicide attempts, will receive enhanced services through best practice trainings, improved suicide care in clinical early intervention, treatments services as well as effective programs. TX will expand upon its previous success in the last GLS grant, Zero Suicide in Texas (ZEST) initiative which improved services for youth at risk of suicide through the development of Suicide Safer Care Centers (SSCCs) in the public MH system. With increased capacity to serve and recognize youth at risk, and enhanced infrastructure for strategy implementation, these SSIP systems will produce robust clinical and community services with collaborative networks to promote youth resiliency, recovery, and safety. In 2017, 3,488 individuals died by suicide in TX with 657 in the target population. Galveston County (GC) has been above the national average rate of suicide for the target population over the last 15 years, with a crude rate of 16.8 compared to the national rate of 9.6. Additionally, GC residents experienced the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 and the Santa Fe (SF) school shooting in May 2018. The trauma associated with exposure to disasters and critical incidents can contribute to increased risks for depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation (SAMHSA, 2017; Usher, et al, 2016). Therefore, activities will begin with youth, ages 10 to 24, living in GC, and specifically in SF, attending schools in SF Independent School District. The goals of the grant are to: (1) improve SSIP systems with development of a Suicide Prevention Community Collaborative (SPCC) to support community planning, workforce development and oversight; (2) increase early identification and referral of youth ages 10 to 24 years at risk of suicide; (3) provide evidence-based interventions to enhance protective factors, promote mental health and reduce suicide risk; (4) enhance postvention strategies to reduce risk following exposure to suicide attempts or deaths in the community; and (5) continuously measure RYSE activities to improve quality and document lessons for expansion. There are numerous objectives for each of these goals; for example, Obj. 1.1: By January 2020, establish SPCC inclusive of community health agencies, BH agencies, schools, non-profits, juvenile justice, foster care, faith-based organizations, and individuals with lived experience, and Obj. 3.1: In year two, begin the Hope Squad youth peer model in a high school as a universal prevention strategy. There will be services and programs implemented to include the following strategies and interventions: screening and referrals, care transition services, suicide early intervention evidence-based practices (EBPs) trainings, and postvention services employed in all years of the grant. Services will be provided to the following numbers of individuals: year one (2,105), year two (3,000), year three (3,780), year four (4,375), and year five (5,200) with a total of 18,460 individuals served through the lifetime of the grant.