{"id":206183,"date":"2024-11-06T16:42:25","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T02:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=206183"},"modified":"2024-11-08T06:50:10","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T16:50:10","slug":"suicide-prevent-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/11\/06\/suicide-prevent-project\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr>, Health Dept.<\/abbr> aim to prevent suicide in high-risk groups"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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Almost four people die from suicide every week in Â鶹´«Ã½,<\/span> making suicide the second-leading cause of fatal injuries for Â鶹´«Ã½,<\/span> residents. The University of Â鶹´«Ã½,<\/span> at Mānoa and Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Department of Health (HDOH<\/abbr>) announced<\/a> they are teaming up with other public and private sector partners to reduce the number of suicides, particularly in groups with higher rates.<\/p>\n

The goal is to reach the groups disproportionately affected by suicide and suicide attempts, such as men, rural communities, minorities and essential workers, including farmers and first responders.<\/p>\n

The Culturally Based Community Connections for Resilience (CCCR<\/abbr>) project, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services\u2013Office of Minority Health aims to create a network among Â鶹´«Ã½,<\/span>\u2019s essential workers to reduce suicide and suicide risks by bolstering social connectedness and relationship building.<\/p>\n

“It may seem suicide is a lone event\u2014it is not,” said UH<\/abbr> Mānoa Professor Thao Le in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, and principal investigator for CCCR<\/abbr>. “A major reason though is feeling alone. We need a course correction and can only do this when we create conditions for connections, internally and externally, across all levels and all sectors.”<\/p>\n

1,051 lives lost<\/h2>\n

A total of 1,051 residents died from suicide from 2019 to 2023. More than 76% of individuals in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> who died by suicide were men. Men ages 20 to 59 years old had the highest risk for suicide death. Females ages 15 to 19 years old had the highest risk for suicide attempt.<\/p>\n

“Suicide can be preventable, but effective suicide prevention needs partners across the state from different sectors and disciplines to care, connect and collaborate,” said Renee Yu, suicide prevention coordinator for HDOH<\/abbr> Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch. “CCCR and initiatives like CCCR brought to our state by our amazing suicide prevention partners are saving lives and families.”<\/p>\n

Resources<\/h2>\n

If you are struggling, resources are available. Help is just a call, text or chat away.<\/p>\n