Promoting hope, rhode island - rhode island's comprehensive suicide prevention - the rhode island department of health's violence & injury prevention program proposes to convene a multi-sectoral…

Promoting hope, rhode island - rhode island's comprehensive suicide prevention - the rhode island department of health's violence & injury prevention program proposes to convene a multi-sectoral partnership of public and private stakeholders to create a comprehensive, coordinated and data-driven suicide prevention plan. In recent years, rhode island's suicide rate began to climb, with working age men (25-64 years old) making up the majority of these deaths. There is increasing concern that that the coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) pandemic could exacerbate suicides among working age men as they are particularly vulnerable to economic uncertainty and recessions. Therefore, rhode island will leverage resources and implement evidence-based strategies for the following priority populations: 1. Working age men; 2. Military-affiliated individuals (veterans, active duty, national guard) and first responders ages 18+ (public safety officers, firefighters, EMS). We also will strengthen data and service infrastructure to better understand the depth of disparities in suicide risk amongst numerically small populations in rhode island that have disproportionately high rates of suicide: 1. Lgbtq+ people; 2. Native american/american indian people; 3. People who are survivors of previous suicide attempts; 4. People who are homeless; and 5. People who are survivors of domestic violence. A comprehensive approach to suicide prevention is urgently needed in rhode island to continue to build on the state's investment in suicide prevention that began in 2009. Over the next five years (2022-2027), rhode island will implement "upstream" (statewide) approaches to reduce suicide morbidity and mortality by 10% in the identified populations.