Governor Dan McKee today announced that Rhode Island has been awarded $915,000 in funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a coordinated, data-driven suicide prevention program for higher-risk populations.
For the initiative, the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Violence and Injury Prevention Program will convene a new multi-sector partnership, including partners across the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. It will focus on suicide prevention amongst working-aged men (25 to 64), military-affiliated individuals (Veterans, active duty, National Guard), and first responders (public safety officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel) who are age 18 or older.
Suicide is a public health crisis in Rhode Island and across the country. In 2021, 121 people died by suicide in Rhode Island, up from 99 suicide deaths in 2020. From 2012-2021, Rhode Island averaged 120 suicides per year. Suicide deaths are more likely to be seen among males and middle-aged adults. In 2019, deaths of working-age men (ages 25-64) accounted for almost 60 percent of all suicides in Rhode Island.
“Here in Rhode Island, we recognize that suicide is a public health crisis, and it’s on all of us to be part of the solution. This coordinated program is data-driven and unites state agencies to ensure this critical work is done across the whole of government,” Governor McKee said. “I thank the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for providing these crucial funds to help save lives.”
The comprehensive approach will continue to build on the State’s investment in suicide prevention that began in 2009. Rhode Island will implement Statewide approaches with the goal of reducing suicide-related injuries and fatalities by 10 percent in the identified populations from 2022-2027.
“This federal suicide prevention funding will help save lives. This is part of a strategic plan to help reduce the risk of suicide across the state and ensure people in crisis have access to the comprehensive mental and behavioral health care and support they need, when they need it,” said Senator Jack Reed, who co-authored the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (Public Law No: 116-172) to designate 988 as a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. “We want everyone to know that they are not alone. Help is available and evidence-based programs like this can make a world of difference.”
“Service members and first responders encounter extremely stressful situations as they work to protect and serve each day, and it is our duty to ensure they have access to the best possible mental health care,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who passed bipartisan legislation to establish suicide prevention programs and mental health services for police officers. “This new round of federal funding will strengthen our efforts to support Rhode Islanders who are at-risk for mental health challenges because of their service.”
“We must do everything we can to help those in crisis by supporting suicide prevention programs,” said Representative Seth Magaziner. “This lifesaving federal investment will go toward destigmatizing access to mental health resources and making it easier for Rhode Islanders to seek help.”
“One life lost is too many and by working together, we can save lives,” said Executive Office of Health and Human Services Secretary Richard Charest. “This interagency collaboration will coordinate with and build upon the other important work happening across the State through the SSG Fox Grant Program and Rhode Island Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and Families.”
“Community must be at the heart of the work to prevent suicides in Rhode Island. These grant funds will allow us to build upon the collaborations we have developed over the years with partners in the healthcare community and the social support network in Rhode Island,” said Interim Director of Health Utpala Bandy, MD, MPH. “We need to get help to people with behavioral health challenges consistently and comprehensively, in the same way that we do for physical health conditions.”
The collaborative effort will also strengthen data and service infrastructure to better understand and address differences in suicide risk among Rhode Islanders. For example, some numerically small populations in Rhode Island – such as LGBTQ+ people; Native American/American Indian people; people who are survivors of previous suicide attempts; people who are homeless; and people who are survivors of domestic violence – have disproportionately high rates of suicide.
Rhode Island will continue to focus on reducing access to lethal means as a way to lower suicide deaths. In Rhode Island, rates of firearm-related suicides among working-age men increased by more than 12 percent from the period of 2010-2014 to 2015-2019. Additionally, intentional drug overdose deaths, or suicides by drug poisoning, remain a concern.
This new funding is in addition to the $750,000 Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox (SSG Fox) Suicide Prevention Grant from the US Department of Veterans Affairs that RIDOH recently received to coordinate with the Providence Veterans Administration Medical Center, the Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services, other State agencies, and community partners to address the issues of mental health and suicide among Rhode Island Veterans and their families.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
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