NEWTON, MA | November 4, 2010
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), has been awarded up to $22.4 million in federal funds to continue the work of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) to provide suicide prevention expertise to states, tribes, and communities throughout the country. The funding, to be distributed over five years, comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.
This new funding will allow SPRC to increase its focus on populations at high risk for suicide or suicide attempts, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth; young Latinos; youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems; and American Indian/Alaska natives. The funding will also increase the suicide prevention capacity of health and mental health providers to assess and manage suicide risk and to improve the quality and continuity of care for persons at high risk of suicide, including individuals who have attempted suicide, those afflicted with mental illness, and those with substance use disorders.
“EDC is committed to improving health and well-being across the life cycle, especially for those who are underserved,” said President and CEO Luther Luedtke. “Working with SAMHSA and many colleagues and partners across the country, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center provides access to the science and experience that support the critical programs, interventions, and policies helping to prevent suicide nationwide.”
In addition, the funds will help enhance suicide prevention capacities in both primary care and critical care settings, hospital emergency departments, and substance abuse treatment programs.
According to SAMHSA, suicide claims over 34,000 lives annually in the United States, the equivalent of 94 suicides per day or 1 suicide every 15 minutes.
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is a global nonprofit organization that develops, delivers, and evaluates innovative programs to address some of the world’s most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. EDC manages 350 projects in 35 countries. Visit www.edc.org.
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) at EDC provides prevention support, training, and resources to assist organizations and individuals to develop suicide prevention programs, interventions, and policies, and to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Visit www.sprc.org.
