FY22 Suicide Prevention Plan Progress Report Now Available
The Mississippi Suicide Prevention Plan FY22 Progress Report is now available, providing updates on the work that has taken place from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
The Suicide Prevention Workgroup includes members from the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, the Mississippi Department of Education, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Community Mental Health Centers, and numerous advocacy organizations, community representatives, and others. The Workgroup was formed in April 2016 to finalize the state’s efforts in developing a formal plan to help end a public health issue that affects people of all ages, races, and genders – suicide. As the report notes, strides have been made in developing awareness and increasing knowledge about suicide in recent years, but there is still significant progress to be made.
Highlights from FY22 include:
- In FY2022 5,245 Mississippians were trained in Shatter the Silence Suicide: the secret you shouldn’t keep mental health and suicide prevention training.
- 5,001 families, schools, communities, and youth-serving organizations statewide in FY22 were trained in The Alliance Project, a suicide prevention gatekeeper training developed by the Mississippi State University Department of Psychology.
- Shatter the Silence prevention training and Mississippi State University Psychology Department (Prevention and Postvention) trainings have effectively trained 10, 246 families, schools, communities, and youth-serving organizations statewide in FY22.
- 1,221 youth were trained in I Got You: Healthy Life Choices for Teens training developed by Frankie Johnson with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health to provide mental health and suicide prevention education for students in Mississippi.
- In FY22, The Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention (GLS) grant partnered with Region 8 Mental Health Services and provided 1,292 mental health screenings to students in Rankin, Simpson, and Copiah county school districts.
- In FY22, DMH became a partner in the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF).
The full report is available online. Follow the link below to read the full document.