Hawai’i
Hawai’i suicide prevention plans and initiatives
Hawai’i suicide prevention activities are led by the EMS & Injury Prevention System Branch within the Department of Health Injury Prevention and Control Section (DOH/IPCS) with support from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Adult Mental Health, and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Divisions. The Prevent Suicide Hawaiʻi Taskforce (PSHTF) is the major statewide, community-driven suicide prevention/mental health collaborative in the state. Initially formed in 2001, it is the longest-standing and most sustained mental health collaborative in the state. The Hawai‛i DOH now houses and directly supports the PSHTF, including the provision of a full-time Suicide Prevention Coordinator position.
In 2016, HCR 66 requested the PSHTF to develop and recommend a strategic plan to reduce suicides in the state 25% by 2025 and to submit a report of findings and recommendations. The resulting 2017 report outlines five strategies: (1) primary prevention, awareness, and knowledge; (2) services and intervention; (3) healing, support, and postvention; (4) research and evaluation; and (5) policy and advocacy.