Comprehensive Suicide Prevention | Injury Free North Carolina

In 2020, the CDC designated suicide as a public health problem and announced the first grant to fund suicide prevention conducted in a comprehensive public health framework, known as the Comprehensive Suicide Prevention (CSP) Program. The North Carolina Injury and Violence Prevention Branch received this inaugural funding from the CDC and initiated the development of a statewide CSP program. This program approaches suicide prevention on multiple levels and with many strategies, including reducing access to lethal means, increasing the number of community helpers through additional training, and increasing referrals to care.

UNC IPRC is collaborating with NCDHHS to build statewide capacity for suicide prevention among IVP practitioners through several programs and activities, including the Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Advisory Council (CSPAC) and workforce development and community helper trainings such as Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).

In 2025, the NC CSP program finished its fifth year and published a report detailing the program’s accomplishments.

For more information about Comprehensive Suicide Prevention activities, email Megan Lueck at mlueck@unc.edu.