NEW YORK STATE ANNOUNCES $660,000 AWARDED TO STRENGTHEN SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS IN FIVE RURAL COUNTIES

 

Funding Will Support the Establishment of Sustainable Prevention Activities in Schools, Clinical Settings and in the Community

Office of Mental Health’s Suicide Prevention Center of New York to Assist in Implementing Local Initiatives Statewide

The New York State Office of Mental Health today announced that $660,000 has been awarded to help five rural counties establish sustainable clinical, school- and community-based supports to strengthen suicide prevention efforts. Administered by OMH’s Suicide Prevention Center of New York State, the funding is aimed at addressing disproportionately higher suicide rates experienced in Chautauqua, Madison, Putnam, Tioga, and Cayuga counties.

Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “Although New York remains a national leader in suicide prevention efforts and has one of the lowest suicide rates nationally, even one tragic loss from suicide is far too many. Our rural communities are at increased risk, and this funding will help them address specific local needs with tailored community-based programming. With Governor Hochul’s record investments in strengthening all aspects of our state’s mental health system, we are working with our rural communities to ensure access to care when and where it is needed.”

Each county will receive $36,000 to perform a needs assessment, engage with community partners, and attend the New York State Suicide Prevention Conference to receive technical assistance from subject matter experts and finalize their action plans. Recipients will then get $48,000 annually over two years to help implement their plans.

County initiatives will include clinical, community-based, and school-based efforts. This could involve safety and injury prevention efforts with gun shops and ranges; providing integrated behavioral health services within primary care; training clinicians in a suicide safety plan intervention; addressing social isolation and loneliness in men; partnering with faith-based organizations to enhance community support and resilience; implementing suicide safety programming within schools; and more. 

New York State has roughly 43,000 square miles of rural land area, according to U.S. Census statistics, with about 3.4 million New Yorkers –more than 17 percent of the state’s population –living in areas considered rural.  Between 2021 and 2023, New York counties with fewer than 200,000 residents had suicide rates that were 90 percent higher than their urban counterparts.

Madison County Director of Community Services Teisha Cook said, “This award will allow Madison County to expand and strengthen the work of the Suicide Prevention Coalition. With both the clinical, evidence-based intervention that therapists at Madison County Mental Health Department will be trained in, and the Men’s Sheds implementation, we are hopeful that these efforts will effect positive, impactful changes on the residents of Madison County.”

Suicide Prevention Alliance of Chautauqua County coordinator Carri Raynor said, “This funding will allow Chautauqua County to move from planning to action by strengthening and expanding suicide prevention initiatives that are already making a difference in our community. From Lock & Talk CHQ and school-based prevention efforts to the Sudden Loss Care Team and stronger healthcare partnerships, this investment will help build a more connected and comprehensive system of support that reaches individuals and families before a crisis occurs.”

Putnam County Director of Mental Health Paul Tang said, “Putnam County is honored to be chosen as a recipient for the 'Building Capacity for Rural Suicide Prevention in New York State' grant funding. This funding will allow us to build on the established framework of the Putnam County Suicide Prevention Task Force and associated LOSS Team, to bring innovative approaches to suicide prevention in our county. We look forward to working with the Suicide Prevention Center to grow our capacity with the mutual goal of saving lives.”

Cayuga County Community Mental Health Center deputy director Maureen Brennan said, “This funding will provide Cayuga County with a critical opportunity to strengthen and coordinate countywide suicide prevention efforts by building upon existing clinical and community resources, expanding Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) training, and developing innovative community-based initiatives such as Men’s Sheds. Through enhanced collaboration, data-informed planning, and capacity building, this project will create sustainable infrastructure to reduce suicide risk, improve behavioral health outcomes, and strengthen suicide prevention efforts across our rural communities.”

Tioga County Public Health Educator Katie Wait said, “This funding will provide Tioga County with the opportunity to network with subject matter experts, train our coalition members, increase our capability and capacity, and generate innovative ideas to help prevent deaths by suicide in our county.” 

In addition to suicide prevention efforts, OMH has been developing and funding programs focused on improving mental health in rural communities, addressing health inequities and improving access to critical care. This includes expanding Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and Crisis Stabilization Centers, bringing the successful Safe Options Support program to rural areas to address homelessness, and building out Assertive Community Treatment and Critical Time Intervention teams to address gaps in care.

In addition, OMH provided funding to help Putnam and Tioga counties to develop mobile crisis programs, which provides urgent voluntary short-term intervention to anyone experiencing or at risk of experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. The growth of this program is part of a statewide move to improve the comprehensive crisis response system, ensuring that care and support is available 24/7.