Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

The purpose of the Nebraska Youth Suicide Prevention Project is to prevent suicides and reduce the number of suicide attempts for youth ages 10-24. We will serve youth across the entire state of Nebraska with two populations of focus: Youth in K-12 Schools (ages 10-21) and Youth at high risk for behavioral health disorders (ages 10-24). The project promotes use of evidence based practices in suicide prevention for schools, clinical settings, and communities and will support web-based or in-person training for 28,055 gatekeepers and clinicians (5,611 annually); suicide risk screening for 5,706 at risk youth (1145 annually); postvention for 500 suicide survivors and attempters (100 annually); and outreach/awareness touching 1.4 million Nebraskans. System change will be promoted by working through Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Regional Behavioral Health Authorities to ensure youth suicide prevention becomes an expected component of service delivery and data collection. The State Suicide Prevention Coalition and Project Everlast (youth council) serve as advisory bodies to ensure activities are culturally appropriate for youth and Nebraska communities. The NDHHS, Division of Behavioral Health manages the award and coordinates outreach and awareness activities; the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center assists with program coordination and conducts the evaluation.

Goal #1. Prevent youth suicides in Nebraska

• 50% of licensed Nebraska clinicians are trained to assess, manage and treat youth at risk
• Increase # of at risk youth identified & referred who receive services
• Reduce the youth suicide rate by 50% in five years

Goal #2. Standardized screening protocols are in place for youth at risk for suicide in child serving systems

• 100% of K-12 public school personnel receive youth suicide prevention training
• Screening protocols are implemented by regional network providers serving youth with behavioral disorders
• Screening protocols are adopted by post-secondary settings (campuses, workforce development agencies, specialty services/schools)

Goal #3. Nebraska communities implement culturally appropriate suicide prevention strategies

• 75% of adults in Nebraska report general awareness of signs of suicide and the National Hotline
• Culturally appropriate suicide prevention strategies are supported in each of the six behavioral health regions in Nebraska
• LOSS postvention teams are available in each of the six behavioral health regions in Nebraska