ND THRIVES: North Dakota Rural and Tribal Suicide Care Initiative
Problem
Suicide in rural North Dakota is a growing issue that warrants increased services and support.
North Dakota (ND) is a vastly rural state with a steadily increasing suicide rate. Among youth ages 10 to 24, the suicide rate increased 46.2 percent between 2004 and 2021, from 11.9 to 17.5 per 100,000 population. In addition, there was a 33 percent increase in suicide ideation and attempts among this age group between 2018 and 2021 alone.
Unfortunately, as a rural and highly frontier state, mental health services are limited in ND, often requiring a two- or three-hour drive to access them. Rural and tribal communities are disproportionately impacted by suicide, and culturally appropriate services for these groups are limited.
Solution
UND and NORC received a SAMHSA grant to address youth suicide risk.
The University of North Dakota (UND) and NORC were awarded a five-year Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to implement ND THRIVES.
ND THRIVES provides suicide prevention services, resources, and supports to youth ages 10-24 in a 14-county region in North Central and parts of Northeastern ND. ND THRIVES works with schools, hospitals, clinics, and community-based organizations to implement culturally responsive suicide care practices through training, technical assistance, and evaluation support; develop postvention supports as an upstream means of suicide prevention; and implement lethal means reduction campaigns developed in partnership with the gun-owning community.
Result
Our goal is to reduce suicide morbidity and mortality by 20 percent in North Central and Northeastern North Dakota.
Using evidence-based services and a multi-tiered approach to suicide prevention for youth, ND THRIVES strives to build workforce capacity and reduce suicide morbidity and mortality by 20 percent among youth in North Central and Northeastern North Dakota.
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Project Leads
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Brett Harris
Senior Research ScientistProject Director -
Tracy McPherson
Principal Research ScientistSenior Technical Expert -
Hildie Cohen
Senior Research DirectorProject Manager
“ND THRIVES brings critical resources and programming into a 14-county frontier region in the North Central and Northeastern parts of North Dakota to prevent suicide among rural and tribal youth. This project extends the reach of our ND HOPES project in Western North Dakota, making suicide prevention services accessible across the state.”
