Governor Laura Kelly announces $525,000 to address the ongoing crisis of suicide in Kansas.

 The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services through its Kansas Community Suicide Prevention Grant program has awarded fifteen community organizations $35,000 each to develop community-specific strategies to prevent suicide among at-risk Kansans.

 The fifteen organizations, including Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center in Chanute, will engage in community and evidence-based suicide prevention services and activities that prevent suicidal behavior, reduce suicidal ideation, attempts, and deaths, and address shared risk and protective factors.

 Grantees are required to create a plan that includes conducting a community assessment, building suicide prevention infrastructure, addressing cultural competency, and ensuring suicide prevention efforts are evidence-based. These grants are intended to serve individuals of all ages.