{"id":139201,"date":"2021-04-13T10:20:26","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T20:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=139201"},"modified":"2021-04-13T10:20:26","modified_gmt":"2021-04-13T20:20:26","slug":"youth-suicide-prevention-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/04\/13\/youth-suicide-prevention-grant\/","title":{"rendered":"Suicide-prevention effort targets 60K <\/abbr>underserved Hawai\u02bbi youth"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Youth workshop attendees at the 2019 statewide Prevent Suicide Hawaiʻi<\/span> Conference. (Photo courtesy: Deborah Goebert)
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Rural, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth and communities have greater needs with respect to suicide prevention and mental health support. Now, with a new $3.5-million grant, University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa<\/a> researchers in public health and psychiatry will aim to reach at least 60,000 of these young people in Hawaiʻi<\/span> with suicide prevention efforts.<\/p>\n

Researchers Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda<\/strong> of the Office of Public Health Studies<\/a> in the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health<\/a> and Deborah Goebert<\/strong> of the John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a>, along with their colleagues, were awarded the federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration<\/a>. The grant will fund the Hawaiʻi<\/span>‘s Caring Systems Initiative for Youth Suicide Prevention.<\/p>\n

“Our approach is to offer hope, help and healing to youth in Hawaiʻi<\/span>‘s rural and underserved areas,” Sugimoto-Matsuda said. “This grant will fund our efforts to reach youth in their schools, communities and health care facilities, and to also improve the effectiveness of these systems.”<\/p>\n

This effort is an example of ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s goal of Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), one of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan<\/a> (PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020. <\/p>\n

Fostering collaboration across systems<\/h2>\n
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Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Deborah Goebert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The initiative uses a strengths-based approach, meaning it will work to enhance existing programs and tap into the resiliency and relationships in Hawaiʻi<\/span> families and communities. The researchers selected four best practice programs that will be involved: <\/p>\n