Wisconsin to Use Federal Funding for Suicide Prevention Efforts

Wednesday, September 28th, 2022 -- 11:01 AM

(Gaby Vinick, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin will use federal funding to focus on suicide prevention efforts among the state's two most vulnerable populations, rural men aged 25-64 and girls 10-19. 

According to Gaby Vinick of Wisconsin Public Radio, those two groups have the highest suicide rates, according to Dr. Jasmine Zapata, the chief medical officer for community health at the state Department of Health Services.

"There are people who suffer in silence, we need to talk about this. We need to normalize this and do everything that we can to save lives," she said. Zapata said the state's goal is to reduce suicide attempts and deaths among the two target populations by 10 percent.

Wisconsin is one of six states in the country to have received the grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expecting to receive $4.3 million over five years. The money will be used to expand peer support programs, invest in suicide prevention efforts and reduce stigma.

Wisconsin's suicide rate jumped 40 percent from 2000-2017, according to the state's most recent suicide prevention report. The suicide rate in Wisconsin is also higher than the national rate, according to Zapata.

In Wisconsin, the age-adjusted suicide rate was 14.4 per 100,000 from 2013-2017, compared with 13.5 per 100,000 nationwide. Zapata is leading the grant efforts, with plans to work with state agencies such as the Department of Public Instruction, the Department of Corrections and suicide prevention organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Medical College of Wisconsin, among others.

While DHS is still determining how the grant money will be disbursed, Leah Rolando, suicide prevention program manager for Mental Health America of Wisconsin, has some ideas. She'd like to see the money go toward more peer support services and create more spaces for people to openly talk about their feelings.

"Suicide is about more than mental health," she said. Rolando pointed to groups that center people's lived experiences, a strategy that "gets away from a clinical, traditional framework."  She said she hopes her agency can work with the state to get quicker access to data and prevention strategies. 

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.