MONTANA: Governor and Tribal Governments Uniting to Reduce and Prevent American Indian Youth Suicide
October 20, 2017
Montana state and tribal governments are collaborating on efforts to prevent suicide among American Indian youth. Representatives from Urban Indian Health Centers, the Indian Health Service, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), and state and tribal governments recently came together to attend a Zero Suicide Academy. Led by the Education Development Center’s Zero Suicide Institute, the academy provided training in the Zero Suicide approach to preventing suicide in health care systems. This two-day training represents one of the first steps towards launching a statewide Zero Suicide initiative, a key component of the 2017 Montana Native Youth Suicide Reduction Strategic Plan released earlier this year. According to DPHHS Director Sheila Hogan, the academy highlighted the importance of state and tribal partnerships in building the infrastructure to address Native youth suicide. “Those who participate in the Academy will then be encouraged to return to their communities and begin the process of implementing the Zero Suicide framework,” Hogan said. “This has been a partnership in every sense of the word and we’re excited to move this forward together.”
Spark Extra! Read the Montana Native Youth Suicide Reduction Strategic Plan.