COLUMBUS, Ohio — On average, five Ohioans take their life each day, making suicide the second-leading cause of death among people 10-34 years of age within the state.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, from 2020 to 2021 the number of suicide deaths have increased by eight percent.
Nationally, Black youth have the fastest growing suicide rate compared to their peers. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control the suicide rate among Black youth ages 10-17 has increased 144% since 2007.
Taking these statistics into consideration, Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services have developed the Black Youth and Young Adults Suicide Prevention Initiative. The initiative aims to reduce suicide by increasing access to high-quality, culturally responsive prevention and early intervention services that work to reduce the risk of suicide and strengthen protective measures.
The Initiative will award $500,000 to the Ohio Suicide Prevention Fund (OSPF) to address the issue on a local and statewide level. The project will work on serving at-risk youth between the ages of 10 and 24 who reside in Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, Montgomery, Muskingum and Summit counties.
OSPF states that to achieve this goal, it will work with leaders from Black churches, other faith-based organizations and community centers.
“Suicide in the Black community has been increasing over the past decade and longer,” said Tony Coder, Executive Director of OSPF.
According to a press release from OhioMHAS, other objectives of the program include:
- Conducting a series of professional development and skill-building opportunities for community leaders to build culturally competent and trauma-informed suicide prevention expertise.
- Hosting the 2nd Annual Suicide Prevention in the Black Community Conference.
- Promoting trainings on evidence-informed strategies such as The Living Works Faith program to aid community leaders in offering effective suicide prevention programs.
- Promoting the Be Present Ohio and Life Is Better With You Here awareness campaigns;
- Developing and distributing a resource toolkit to guide organizations in implementing Black youth and young adult suicide prevention strategies in alignment with the 2024-2026 Ohio Suicide Prevention Plan developed in partnership with Governor DeWine’s RecoveryOhio initiative.
LeeAnne Cornyn, the director of OhioMHAS, said the trends that have appeared within Ohio and nationally show just how urgent it is to cater to the mental health needs of the Black public.
“These trends underscore the importance and urgency of Governor DeWine’s efforts to prioritize the expansion of behavioral health services throughout Ohio,” stated Cornyn. “While suicide rates are on the rise among all ages and racial and ethnic groups, the narrowing gap among Black youth warrants attention now. We are proud to support this important initiative and look forward to working alongside our partners to promote wellness and save lives.”
An organization in Lucas County will also receive $250,000 to help lead local suicide prevention efforts. The Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program of Lucas County, which serves residents throughout northwest Ohio, has a long-standing history of working with the Black and Hispanic communities. It was developed in 1980 to combat drug usage and alcohol abuse. The organization has since expanded its services to youth outreach and suicide prevention.
