FEDERAL, STATE, AND PRIVATE ACTIVITIES

Kansas

Description:
Kansas City's ANSWER:
A Multi-County Coalition Approach to Teen Suicide Prevention

BRIEF SUMMARY AND ABSTRACT

Kansas City's answer to teen suicide is a model for overarching, ongoing systems change through the development of a broad based bi-county coalition which will utilize extensive local data on risk and resiliency factors to develop and refine prevention strategies to prevent teen suicide. The program employs local data, collected by the project investigators to assist stakeholders in determining the most effective prevention strategies for students and subgroups of students. The project emphasizes the evidence-based components of coalition building, risk factor screening, gatekeeper and Peer Helper training, educational curricula, and a public awareness campaign; each of these components guided and influenced by the outcomes of the data process. Kansas City's ANSWER will reach over 2,545 teens, parents and school personnel through educational programs focused on identification of risk factors and sources of assistance. The program will be piloted in 4 diverse high schools, two urban, economically challenged and ethnically diverse, two suburban, wealthy and largely white, in Wyandotte and Johnson counties. Each of these schools will, with the help of the project, establish a single-point of contact gatekeeper to accept information from students, peer helpers and school staff about students who may be at risk for suicide. This gatekeeper will also provide linkage and follow up with community intervention resources. Program goals include building a sustainable coalition; developing suicide strategies that are effective for local teens; developing curriculum materials, consensus and funding for institutionalization of these strategies; increasing knowledge of risk factors and willingness to seek assistance; and reducing suicidal ideation and attempts.