A new partnership between federal, state, and regional organizations is expected to help with suicide prevention among service members, veterans, and their families.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has joined with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the University of Pittsburgh Program Evaluation and Research Unit, and the CDC to build a comprehensive suicide prevention program in northwest PA.
The CDC has awarded The University $700,000 each year for the next five years to create this program which will assess active suicide prevention initiatives to identify gaps in service and programming. The funding will then be used to develop and implement additional trainings and programs across the region as well as gather data to identify best practices and direct future policy.
The long-term goal of the program is to reduce the average rate of suicide in 15 counties, including Butler, by at least 10 percent after the conclusion of the five year project period.
