Project Grant H79SM091060

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation $735,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532).

Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation's Community Guidance Center will deliver a comprehensive suicide prevention initiative across the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands targeting approximately 10,964 youth ages 10-24 residing in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, with priority focus on under-resourced and heightened-risk populations including behaviorally health-concerned youth, justice- and foster care-involved youth, transition-age youth (18-24), and residents of Tinian and Rota. The program implements evidence-based suicide risk screening using the C-SSRS and PHQ-9; establishes a CNMI-wide suicide risk response system with referral pathways, safety planning, warm handoffs, and post-crisis follow-up; provides workforce training in QPR, SafeTalk, ASIST, and LifeKeepers; implements local-context-responsive public awareness and lethal means safety campaigns; strengthens family support resources; enhances coordination with the 988 Lifeline; and builds a comprehensive evaluation framework aligned with SAMHSA SUPRT-P indicators. Program goals include increasing capacity to identify youth at heightened risk through standardized screening across youth-serving systems, developing and implementing a coordinated CNMI-wide suicide risk response system improving referral continuity of care and post-crisis support, and strengthening community-based prevention capacity.

The period of performance runs from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031. Place of performance is the Northern Mariana Islands.