Stories from the Field

SOS Signs of Suicide Prevention Program (SOS)

In this Who's Leading the Leading Health Indicators? story, we looked at how the Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and Suicide (CHADS) Coalition for Mental Health helped schools in North St. Louis County, Missouri implement the SOS Signs of Suicide Prevention Program, a program to prevent suicide among adolescents.

Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project

In this Who's Leading the Leading Health Indicators? story, we looked at how the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health used funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) State Innovation Model (SIM) Initiative to enhance their Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project, which helps pediatricians better meet the needs of children and youth with behavioral health issues.

Sources of Strength



If you ask Mark LoMurray what he likes most about his job, he doesn’t have to think about it much. “Watching young people find their voice,” he says, “sometimes in as little as 3 or 4 hours. We often have kids who can barely say their name at the beginning of an activity, and by the end they’re standing up presenting ideas that they’re proud of. It’s just really amazing to watch that happen.”

Zero Suicide in Texas

In this Who's Leading the Leading Health Indicators? story, we looked at how the Texas Department of State Health Services worked to prevent youth suicide.

The Senior Connection

In this Who's Leading the Leading Health Indicators? story, we looked at how the University of Rochester Medical Center partnered with Lifespan to implement a program to reduce the risk of suicide among older adults.


In this Who's Leading the Leading Health Indicators? story, we looked at the Empowering Our Spirits Initiative, a program developed by the White Mountain Apache Tribe to reduce Apache youth suicidal behavior.


Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States—and suicide rates are on the rise in almost every state.1 But communities and health systems are working together to help intervene.