Collaborative effort to expand suicide prevention to North Dakota rural communities

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Data from the CDC reports the suicide rate in North Dakota is higher than the national average. To help bring those numbers down, the University of North Dakota is partnering with several other agencies to create a comprehensive suicide prevention program in western North Dakota over the next five years. UND has taken the lead in the effort, but they say the partnership is essential.

The effort has 20 partners in the state to better work with disproportionately affected groups in rural communities, veterans, and LGBTQ youth. The grant from the CDC has awarded UND almost $1 million per year over a five-year period.

“We really wrote a robust piece of multi-sectoral partnerships, and there’s a great deal of work that’s already been conducted, and the capacity of UND to partner with people doing this work in western North Dakota is a big piece,” said Thomasine Heitkamp, a research developer in the office of the UND vice president of research and economic development.

The grant will identify problems in the communities where suicide rates are highest and collect data to better address the mental health crisis and improve suicide prevention programs.

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