West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health

West Virginia will implement this grant statewide through the West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health’s six regions, in partnership with Prevent Suicide WV and the Regional Youth Service Centers, to serve youths aged 10-24 at risk of suicide through suicide prevention and early intervention strategies in schools, higher education institutions, juvenile justice and foster care systems, substance use prevention and treatment programs, mental health programs, and other youth-serving organizations. This grant will build upon the state’s prior GLS grants, which made great strides in suicide prevention education and policy in schools and higher education institutions, to crystallize systemic integration of suicide risk screening, assessment, referral safety planning, and follow-up in other youth-serving settings, including primary care, emergency department, and psychiatric settings. The overarching goal is to reduce youth suicides through a seamless, sustainable, accessible continuum of care for youths at risk of suicide in the state.