Description
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2013 Campus Suicide Prevention grants. The purpose of this program is to facilitate a comprehensive approach to preventing suicide in institutions of higher education. This program is designed to assist colleges and universities build a foundation for their efforts to prevent suicide attempts and completions and to enhance services for students with mental and substance use disorders that put them at risk for suicide and suicide attempts. The Campus Suicide Prevention grants support an array of campus activities to help grantees build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective mental health and substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. Successful applicants will provide "roadmap" of the process by which they have assessed or intend to assess suicide prevention needs and plan/implement infrastructure development strategies that meet those needs. The plan put forward in the grant application must show the linkages among needs, the proposed infrastructure development strategy, and increased system capacity that will enhance and sustain effective prevention programs and services which support SAMHSA's Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Strategic Initiative. The plan must also address the needs of youth at high-risk identified by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention; including, but not limited to: lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT), American Indian/Alaska Natives (AVAN), military family members, and veterans. In addition, applicants should incorporate goals and objectives from the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP), that includes a comprehensive and data driven approach to suicide prevention, with the vision that one death is too many. As a result of the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention grants, colleges, and universities will: increase the amount of training to students, faculty, and staff on suicide prevention and mental health promotion; increase collaboration among campus and community partners to deliver the message that suicide prevention is everyone's responsibility; increase the number of educational seminars and informational materials for students, faculty, staff, and family members on suicide prevention, identification and reduction of risk factors, such as depression and substance use/abuse; increase help-seeking among students and reduce negative attitudes for seeking care for mental and substance use disorders among students; and increase the promotion of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.