Stories of Effective Suicide Prevention in Rural Communities
While suicide disproportionately impacts rural communities, our July blog post described how rural areas can use the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s Effective Prevention Model (EPM) to strengthen prevention efforts. EPM components include strategic planning, a comprehensive approach, and “keys to success,” such as partnerships and engaging people with lived experience.
In this post, we share how three rural communities have used similar components to create effective suicide prevention.
Strategic Planning
Suicide prevention data can be limited in rural communities; however, partnerships can open doors to data that can guide strategic planning.
Fremont County, Wyoming, is home to the Wind River Indian Reservation and non-reservation rural communities. County leaders have worked through their prevention coalition to access monthly data by building relationships with data-keepers (e.g., coroner, law enforcement, health care). The coalition’s executive board (including tribal health, mental health, juvenile justice) uses the data to identify trends and mobilize interventions. Aggregate data is released annually for strategic planning and evaluation.
Relationships and trust have been paramount to Fremont’s data sharing. Tips for building trust include:
- Completing the necessary paperwork
- Respecting data-keepers time
- Involving data-keepers within their available capacity
Working collaboratively facilitates consistent access to data that is essential for prioritizing rural suicide prevention efforts.
Tailored Approaches to Prevention
Prevention is not one-size-fits-all. Suicide prevention strategies from cities often won’t fit rural townships. Engaging communities, including those with lived experience, helps tailor strategies to each population’s culture.
In Together with Veterans (TWV), a rural community-based suicide prevention initiative, the affected population drives suicide prevention. TWV is:
- Veteran-driven, providing rural veterans with tools and training to lead local prevention efforts
- Collaborative, engaging community-based and veteran-serving organizations
- Community-centered and strategic, assessing community needs and creating action plans
- Effective and comprehensive, drawing from tested approaches to implement multiple locally adapted strategies.
Comprehensive Approach
A comprehensive approach uses multiple strategies to prevent suicide. The Model Adolescent Suicide Prevention Program (MASPP) was developed by an Native American tribe in rural New Mexico and demonstrates the strength of comprehensive efforts. MASPP was developed as a youth-serving initiative that emphasizes community ownership. Program components include:
- Youth suicide-related behavior tracking
- Community-wide education
- A school-based curriculum
- Suicide risk screenings
- Peer-support services
- Partnerships representing schools, clinics, and traditional community gatherings
MASPP evaluations found that youth suicide attempts decreased from a high of 19 annual attempts before MASPP to 4 attempts after 15 years of sustained implementation.
These examples illustrate principles of effective suicide prevention in rural communities. Do you have experience promoting rural suicide prevention? Please share your stories below.
