Bridge RI - building resilience through integrated detection, guidance, and early intervention in rhode island - rhode island department of health (ridoh) violence and injury prevention program will…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the State of Rhode Island Department of Health $735,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to implement BRIDGE RI, a statewide youth suicide prevention initiative.

RIDOH's Violence and Injury Prevention Program will strengthen Rhode Island's youth suicide prevention infrastructure by improving early identification, coordinated response, workforce capacity, family navigation, and postvention services for youth and young adults up to age 24 at elevated risk for suicide. The initiative will establish standardized suicide risk screening protocols within mobile response and stabilization services, family care community partnership regions, and certified community behavioral health clinics. BRIDGE RI will operationalize a statewide suicide risk response system that includes formalized referral pathways, safety planning protocols, warm handoffs, and coordinated follow-up care. A central component is the creation of a Rhode Island Pediatric Zero Suicide Learning and Quality Improvement Collaborative that brings together pediatric primary care, schools, emergency departments, and inpatient psychiatric providers to implement a comprehensive, evidence-based, trauma-informed approach across multiple youth-serving systems.

The award runs through September 29, 2031, with place of performance in Providence, Rhode Island. The program targets youth and young adults with particular emphasis on Medicaid-enrolled youth, youth involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and youth residing in high-burden communities such as Providence County, where suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10–24.

Bridge RI - building resilience through integrated detection, guidance, and early intervention in rhode island - rhode island department of health (ridoh) violence and injury prevention program will implement bridge RI: building resilience through integrated detection, guidance, and early intervention in rhode island. This statewide initiative will strengthen rhode island's youth suicide prevention infrastructure by improving early identification, coordinated response, workforce capacity, family navigation, and postvention services for youth and young adults up to age 24 who are at elevated risk for suicide. Youth suicide remains a critical public health crisis in rhode island, where suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10-24. Rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide-related emergency department visits remain significantly elevated among rhode island youth, particularly among medicaid-enrolled youth, youth involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and youth residing in high-burden communities such as providence county. Bridge RI will build upon ridoh's existing statewide suicide prevention partnerships and infrastructure to implement a comprehensive, evidence-based, and trauma-informed approach across multiple youth-serving systems. The project will establish standardized suicide risk screening protocols within mobile response and stabilization services (mrss), family care community partnership (fccp) regions, and certified community behavioral health clinics (ccbhcs). The initiative will also operationalize a statewide suicide risk response system that includes formalized referral pathways, safety planning protocols, warm handoffs, and coordinated follow-up care. A central component of the initiative will be the creation of a rhode island pediatric zero suicide learning and quality improvement collaborative that brings together pediatric primary care, schools, emergency departments, inpatient psychiatric providers, community behavioral health organizations, youth-serving agencies, and individuals with lived experience to improve continuity of care and quality improvement efforts statewide. To strengthen prevention capacity, ridoh will implement community-based training initiatives for clinicians, educators, school personnel, law enforcement, juvenile justice staff, and community members. Evidence-based trainings will include gatekeeper education, suicide risk assessment and safety planning, and counseling on access to lethal means (calm). The project will also establish regional postvention rapid response teams capable of deploying within 24 hours following a suicide death or traumatic event. Bridge RI further prioritizes family engagement and access to care through the development of a statewide youth and family navigation resource that will provide region-specific crisis response, treatment, and support information. A complementary statewide public awareness campaign will promote safe messaging, reduce stigma, increase awareness of warning signs, and connect families to crisis services including 988, BH link, and kids link RI. Ridoh will utilize a robust mixed-methods evaluation framework incorporating samhsa performance measures, surveillance data, quality improvement processes, and outcome monitoring to guide implementation and ensure sustainability. By leveraging strong interagency partnerships and proven public health leadership, bridge RI will create a coordinated, measurable, and sustainable statewide system designed to reduce suicide risk and improve behavioral health outcomes for rhode island's youth and young adults.