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12 June 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced Monday that the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) will receive more than $3.6 million in federal grant funds to implement youth suicide prevention and intervention strategies.
The Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Suicide Prevention Program Grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and will support KDADS. The award will focus on youth and young adults in Wyandotte County and the southeast 12-county region of Kansas including Allen, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson and Woodson counties, according to a press release from the Office of the Governor.
“This grant funding tells young people across Kansas that ‘we hear you asking for support and help, and your voices are being heard,’” KDADS Secretary Laura Howard said. “This federal funding allows us to implement effective programs at the local level where we can reach our younger population who are struggling with their mental health and guide them to the resources they need in their community.”
KDADS will follow directions identified by the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and recommendations by the Kansas Governor’s Mental Health Task Force and Special Committee on Mental Health Modernization and Reform, according to the press release.
“Improving mental health in every community, including among our youngest Kansans, is essential to creating a healthy, thriving Kansas,” Kelly said. “This funding will further our efforts to reduce suicide rates by providing support and resources for Kansans in crisis.”
From grant funds, KDADS aims to:
Strengthen public communication on suicide
Improve suicide risk recognition by increasing connections to treatment services
Evaluate, develop and implement evidence-based suicide screenings at behavioral health care and educational sites
Implement and enhance safety net support
Expand access to suicide post-intervention counseling
Improve statewide capacity to collect and analyze data related to suicide prevention efforts