Roots-NY - project abstract project name: roots-NY (rural outreach, organizing, training, and suicide prevention - new york) the new york state office of mental health's suicide prevention center of…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $400,000 to Research Foundation For Mental Hygiene, Inc., New York State Office of Mental Health on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532).

ROOTS-NY (Rural Outreach, Organizing, Training, and Suicide Prevention–New York) builds sustainable suicide prevention capacity across community and clinical settings in five rural and semi-rural New York counties: Broome, Genesee, Orleans, Wayne, and Yates, serving approximately 328,777 adults across the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, and Western New York regions. The initiative targets working-age adults, older adults, veterans, farmers, firearm owners, and other populations experiencing elevated suicide risk due to social isolation, economic hardship, and limited access to behavioral healthcare. Over the four-year performance period ending September 29, 2030, ROOTS-NY establishes a regional capacity-building collaborative that increases community awareness, strengthens local partnerships, improves clinical skills in suicide care, promotes lethal means safety, and enhances coordination across healthcare and community systems. The model pairs the Suicide Prevention Center of New York's evidence-based suicide prevention expertise with participating counties' deep knowledge of their communities, assets, cultures, and partnerships, adapting proven approaches to local contexts to create strategies that are both evidence-informed and community-owned. Work is performed in Albany, New York.

Roots-NY - project abstract project name: roots-NY (rural outreach, organizing, training, and suicide prevention - new york) the new york state office of mental health's suicide prevention center of new york (OMH spcny) is the leading technical assistance entity for suicide prevention in NYS. Its mission is to promote, coordinate, and strategically advance suicide prevention across the state to reduce suicide attempts and deaths among new yorkers. Through roots-NY, OMH spcny aims to build sustainable suicide prevention capacity across community and clinical settings within the following five new york state counties: broome, genesee, orleans, wayne, and yates, representing approximately 413,000 residents across the southern tier, finger lakes, and western new york regions. The initiative focuses on adults 18 years and older, with targeted efforts for working-age adults, older adults, veterans, farmers, firearm owners, and other adult populations experiencing elevated suicide risk because of social isolation, economic hardship, and limited access to behavioral healthcare. Roots-NY is designed as a community implementation model that focuses on creating locally owned prevention strategies. Spcny contributes evidence-based suicide prevention expertise while participating counties contribute deep knowledge of their communities, assets, cultures, and existing partnerships. Through this partnership, counties will adapt proven suicide prevention approaches to local contexts, creating strategies that are both evidence-informed and community-owned. Over the four-year project period, roots-NY will create a regional capacity-building collaborative charged with increasing community awareness, strengthening local partnerships, improving clinical skills in suicide care, promoting lethal means safety, and enhancing coordination across healthcare and community systems. As a community-based, multi-sector initiative, roots-NY is expected to serve all adults (N=328,777) in participating counties annually, where 79.5% of residents are at least 18 years old. Goals and objectives of roots-NY are to: establish and sustain a regional suicide prevention task force; develop and implement a comprehensive regional strategic plan; build at least two strategic partnerships annually in each county during the first three project years; conduct annual countywide public awareness campaigns; train at least 100 community members in community helper programs; prepare at least 15 local trainers to sustain workforce capacity; train approximately 90 percent of identified healthcare providers in suicide-safer care, calm, and safety planning; train 50 clinicians in cams and 15 providers in connection planning; and identify and implement county-specific strategies that strengthen social connectedness, economic stability, lethal means safety, and effective care transitions. This coordinated public health and healthcare systems approach will leverage local assets to implement an effective regional suicide prevention infrastructure that extends beyond the grant period.