Hope in reach: community-based adult suicide prevention in brooklyn - sunset park health council, INC. (DBA family health centers at NYU langone or FHC) will implement the samhsa "adult suicide…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded $400,000 to Sunset Park Health Council, Inc. (doing business as Family Health Centers At NYU Langone) on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to implement Hope In Reach, a community-based adult suicide prevention initiative.

The recipient will establish a cross-sector suicide prevention program targeting adults 18 years and older at risk for suicide across six Brooklyn neighborhoods: Sunset Park, East Flatbush-Flatbush, Park Slope, Red Hook, Brownsville, and Crown Heights. The initiative focuses on subpopulations at highest risk, including middle-aged males, working-age adults, and persons experiencing economic hardship, high uninsured rates, substance use disorders, serious mental illness, HIV/HCV co-morbidities, and structural barriers. The project will serve hundreds of clinicians and community members annually, with estimated impact multiplied over the performance period.

The program establishes a task force to develop recommendations on grant activities by month six and requires that by the end of year four, more than 75 percent of priority community sectors formally adopt and implement at least one suicide prevention-related policy or practice explicitly identifying suicide as preventable. The recipient will also develop and implement a strategic plan describing interventions to increase community and organizational capacity to reduce suicide risk. Leadership is directed by Sarah Davison-Duffy, LCSW, as Principal Investigator and Project Director. The period of performance runs from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2030, with all work performed in Brooklyn, New York.

Hope in reach: community-based adult suicide prevention in brooklyn - sunset park health council, INC. (DBA family health centers at NYU langone or FHC) will implement the samhsa "adult suicide prevention" program ("hope in reach: community-based adult suicide prevention in brooklyn ) targeting adults (18 years and older) at risk for suicide, led by sarah davison-duffy, lcsw, principal investigator/project director (2026-2030). This initiative will utilize a cross-sector framework to decrease suicidality in sunset park, east flatbush-flatbush, park slope, red hook, brownsville, and crown heights in brooklyn, NY, with over 943,000 residents. We estimate that the project will serve hundreds of clinicians and hundreds in the community each year, an impact that will be multiplied over the project period. The project subpopulations at highest risk include predominantly middle-aged males, working-age adults, and persons who face compounded social factors such as a higher prevalence of economic hardship, uninsured rates, substance use disorders, serious mental illness, HIV/HCV CO-morbidities, and structural barriers. Goal #1. To establish an ASP program to support cross-sector community-led suicide prevention for adults who are at risk for suicide in the service area. OBJ. 1.1. By M6, the task force (TF) will develop and approve recommendations on grant activities. OBJ. 1.2. By the end of Y4, >75% of priority community sectors in our TF will have formally adopted and implemented >1 suicide prevention-related policy or practice that explicitly identifies suicide death as a preventable outcome, and community surveys will show a ≥25% point increase in the proportion of adults who agree that suicide is preventable. Goal #2. To develop and implement a strategic plan (SP) that describes the interventions to increase community capacity and FHC's capacity to reduce suicide risk. OBJ. 2.1. In M 6-9, the SP will be developed, endorsed in writing, and finalized through a documented participatory process. OBJ. 2.2. In M6-9, the SP will incorporate a clearly articulated prevention and protective-factor framework. OBJ. 2.3. In Y2, train 75% of community partners and FHC-non-clinical staff likely to come into contact with individuals at elevated risk of suicide in question, persuade, and refer (QPR). Goal #3. To promote lethal means safety in full collaboration with the TF and other community partners to increase community capacity and FHC's capacity for suicide prevention. OBJ. 3.1. By the end of Y1, we will establish and implement a community-wide firearms and first-responder lethal means safety initiative. OBJ. 3.2. By the end of Y2, have an implementation plan with assigned tasks for a community-driven lethal means and environmental safety initiative. OBJ. 3.3. Beginning in Y1, increase at-risk patient treatment linkage to >90% within 7 days of identification. OBJ. 3.4. Beginning in Y1, track and monitor the initiative's goal for screening and engagement via evaluator-led CQI through data-informed practice in the EHR and redcap. Goal #4. To support evidence-based care and community transitions through the "hope in reach" initiative to increase community capacity and FHC's capacity to reduce suicide risk. OBJ. 4.1. In Y1, train 100% of clinical staff in suicide risk screening and evidence-based interventions. OBJ. 4.2. In Y2-4, deliver annual refresher training and new staff training to maintain 95% staff skill retention. OBJ. 4.3. In Y1-4, provide evidence-based interventions to 95% of identified patients to address suicidal thoughts and behaviors, achieving 95% fidelity in randomized chart audits. OBJ. 4.4. Beginning in Y3, reduce 90-day readmissions for suicidal ideation/attempts by 20% annually through enhanced care transitions and real-time CQI dashboards benchmarking initiative outcomes and samhsa outcomes. OBJ. 4.5. Beginning in Y2, track and monitor the initiative's goals for treatment and transitions by evaluator-led CQI through implementation metrics in the EHR and redcap