COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has released the state's Suicide Prevention Plan for 2024-2026 in an effort to promote life-saving strategies statewide.
“The heartbreak of losing a family member to suicide is a pain that cuts deep, leaving behind a void that words can't fully capture,“ said DeWine in a statement announcing the plan. “This plan will bring about a system-wide commitment to reduce suicides and encourage communities to work collectively to foster understanding and destigmatize mental health challenges.”
The Ohio Department of Health reports that there were 1,766 suicides in 2021, an 8% increase from the year before. Last November, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report indicating the United States set a record for the number of suicide deaths in 2022, with nearly 50,000 people dying by suicide.
The Suicide Prevention Plan consists of four strategic priorities, plus goals within each priority:
- Community systems
- Strengthening public knowledge
- Reducing/addressing stigma
- Support/expand suicide prevention coalitions
- Increase safe storage of lethal means
- Prevention and early intervention
- Integrate suicide prevention best practices for high-risk populations
- Increase integration of suicide prevention best practices into systems and institutions
- Quality treatment and postvention
- Increase screening and risk
- Increase care transitions and coordination
- Improve access to effective care and treatment
- Healthcare payment and payor policies
- Strengthen Ohio’s Suicide Mortality Review Board process
- Data and evaluation
- Improve data collection and reporting
- Increase data collection related to risk and protective factors
- Support increased quality improvement
DeWine's office says the governor's RecoveryOhio initiative partnered with the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation to spearhead the development plan, incorporating input from more than 30 private and public organizations.
You can read the entire Suicide Prevention Plan below...
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