Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)

Challenge

Suicide claims nearly 50,000 lives each year and is the second leading cause of death among Americans aged 15–39. But with more attention being paid to suicide prevention than ever before, research, advocacy, and new health care initiatives promise to save countless lives and promote hope.

EDC is a lead partner in operating the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), which plays an essential role in building U.S. capacity to prevent suicide. As the nation’s only federally supported resource center devoted to advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP), SPRC provides technical assistance, training, and materials to support a strong foundation for comprehensive suicide prevention in states, health systems, tribes, schools, and communities across the country.

Key Activities

SPRC promotes collaboration among a wide variety of partners and builds capacity in evidence-based suicide prevention strategies that save lives. EDC SPRC staff:

Conduct activities and trainings that advance the NSSP
Work with diverse prevention professionals and leaders, such as policymakers, business leaders, community groups, school health personnel, and behavioral health care professionals
Support operations and communications for the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a public-private partnership to advance the NSSP
Collaborate with partners to promote evidence-based care for individuals at risk for suicide in health systems

Impact

Over the past 18 years, EDC’s work on the SPRC project has resulted in the following:

Reached nearly 15,000 health system leaders and clinicians with the Zero Suicide website and listserv
Trained more than 40,000 professionals on supporting clients at risk for suicide, including the online Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) course
Brought together over 450 organizations and leaders from the public and private sectors to advance the NSSP through the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention