April 6, 2005

SAMHSA Now Accepting Grant Applications for Suicide Prevention

Washington, DC – Today, Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) announced that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is now accepting grant applications for a variety of youth suicide prevention efforts authorized by the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act.

The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, signed into law on October 21, 2004, created a program within SAMHSA to enhance suicide prevention efforts at the state and local level and on college campuses. The bill authorized $82 million in funding over three years, $11 million of which is available in 2005

“I am deeply gratified to see these programs brought to fruition,” said Smith. “The pain and challenges of mental illness are far too great a burden for anyone to bear alone. While there is so much more to do, I hope that these efforts will begin to help the countless children who are now suffering in silence.”

Grant applications are now being accepted for the following programs:

State-Sponsored Youth Suicide Prevention - Approximately $5.5 million will be available for up to 14 cooperative agreements supporting state and Indian tribe efforts in developing and implementing statewide or tribal youth suicide and early intervention programs.

Campus Suicide Prevention – Approximately $1.3 million will be available to fund approximately 20 grant awards to enhance services for students with mental and behavioral problems on college campuses.

Mental Health Services for Adolescents at Risk of Suicide - Approximately $1.8 million will be available to fund approximately eight cooperative agreements to evaluate innovative practices to assess adolescents at risk for suicide and refer them to mental health services within the community.

Applications for each of these program grants are due on June 1, 2005. Eligibility varies and interested parties are encouraged to contact SAMHSA for more information. SAMHSA's clearinghouse phone number is (800) 789-2647. Applications may be downloaded from www.grants.gov or from SAMHSA's web site at www.samhsa.gov.

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