Tribal Suicide Prevention

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American Indian and Alaska Native people are at higher risk of dying by suicide compared with other Americans. In 2021, non-Hispanic AI/AN people had a suicide rate 99% greater than the general population. CDC is working with tribes to reduce risk and increase protective factors to prevent suicide among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Building Capacity for Tribal Suicide Prevention Through Program Implementation and Evaluation is a cooperative agreement funded by CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). Through this cooperative agreement, the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board and Wabanaki Health and Wellness tribal organizations are working to increase capacity to adapt, implement, and evaluate suicide prevention programs to reduce suicide-related morbidity and mortality.

CDC’s funding supports these tribal organizations to:

  • Review existing data to describe the general suicide problem and identify a subgroup that is at increased risk for suicide compared to the general tribal population,
  • Develop an inventory of existing suicide prevention programs for the general tribal population and the selected subgroup to identify gaps and opportunities that will complement existing programs,
  • Select at least one program from Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices [PDF – 194 KB], or another evidence-informed program, to fill prevention gaps and complement existing programs,
  • Adapt the selected program to fit the cultural context of the tribe, and implement and evaluate the approach or program,
  • Conduct listening sessions to obtain input during the project to adapt the approach or program, and
  • Disseminate results, success stories, and lessons learned to stakeholders.

This work is part of CDC’s umbrella cooperative agreement, Tribal Public Health Capacity Building and Quality Improvement Cooperative Agreement. It will increase the capacity of organizations working in Indian Country to identify, respond to, and mitigate public health threats, improving the health, safety, and well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Visit CDC’s Suicide Prevention webpage to find out more about what CDC is doing to prevent suicide.