State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure
A strong state infrastructure serves as a solid foundation for effective, comprehensive, and sustained suicide prevention. Working with a panel of experts, SPRC developed these recommendations to help you identify and strengthen key elements of suicide prevention infrastructure in your community.
The recommendations are organized into six essential elements with specific guidance in each area. You can read the recommendations and real-life examples from around the United States on each essential element page: Authorize, Lead, Partner, Examine, Build and Guide.
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View a list of all State Success Stories
Authorize Learn more about Authorize
- Designate a lead division or organization
- Identify and secure resources required to carry out all six essential functions
- Maintain a state suicide prevention plan that is updated every 3-5 years
- Authorize the designated suicide prevention agency to develop, carry out, and evaluate the suicide prevention plan
- Require an annual report to the legislature or governor on the state of suicide and prevention efforts, the extent and effectiveness of any statute or rule related to suicide, and emerging needs
Lead Learn more about Lead
- Maintain a dedicated leadership position
- Dedicate core staff positions, training, and technology needed for all six essential functions
- Develop capacity to respond to information requests from officials, communities, the media, and the general public
- Where interests intersect, establish a formal connection between the relevant government divisions or offices
- Build staff capacity to effectively communicate across multiple audiences and formats
- Develop division/agency commitment to spur cross-discipline collaboration and integrate programs across funding sources
Partner Learn more about Partner
- Form a statewide coalition with broad public and private sector representation
- Adopt a shared vision and language across partners
- Build partner capacity to integrate suicide prevention efforts into their structures, policies, and activities
- Develop written agreements detailing each partner’s commitment
Examine Learn more about Examine
- Allocate sufficient funding and personnel to support high quality, privacy-protected suicide morbidity and mortality data collection and analysis
- Identify, connect with, and strengthen existing data sources
- Ensure that high-risk and underserved populations are represented in data collection
- Develop the skills and a plan for regularly analyzing and using data to inform action at the state and local levels
- Link data from different systems while protecting privacy
Build Learn more about Build
- Build a multifaceted, lifespan approach to suicide prevention across the state, in concert with the state plan:
- - Understand, develop, and enforce expert-informed policies and regulations that support suicide prevention
- - Strengthen the crisis system and policies, including mobile response and hotlines
- - Establish policies and model practices in preparation for post suicide response, including the event of a suicide cluster
- - Promote “upstream” strategies that proactively prevent suicide risk and enhance protective factors
- Designate sufficient funding to carry out or support a multifaceted approach
- Develop the ability to evaluate and share results
- Embed expectations for suicide prevention within relevant state-funded contracts
Guide Learn more about Guide
- Ensure the ability to plan, provide, and evaluate guidance for state, county, and local efforts
- Identify and allocate resources needed to guide state, country, and local efforts
- Identify and maintain an updated list of available trainings that meet state requirements or recommendations