SPRC 2023 State and Territorial Suicide Prevention Needs Assessment
Between April 12 and May 31, 2023, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and its
partner, Social Science Research and Evaluation, Inc. (SSRE), conducted the 2023 State and
Territorial Suicide Prevention Needs Assessment (SNA) with 54 suicide prevention
coordinators or equivalent suicide prevention leads from the 50 U.S. states, the District of
Columbia, and three U.S. territories. The purpose of the SNA is to help SPRC better
understand state1 suicide prevention needs, track changes in state suicide prevention
infrastructure development over time, and provide valuable information to states on their own
progress and on suicide prevention infrastructure and programming in the nation. Findings
from the SNA will also help SPRC identify and develop future suicide prevention learning
opportunities, supports, and resources for states.
The assessment allowed state suicide prevention representatives to assess and describe their
state's suicide prevention strengths, needs, barriers, and successes. It included seven sections
– one for each of the six essential elements in SPRC's Recommendations for State Suicide
Prevention Infrastructure (Infrastructure Recommendations): (1) Authorize, (2) Lead, (3)
Partner, (4) Examine, (5) Build, and (6) Guide – and a concluding section on the tools
associated with the Infrastructure Recommendations. Throughout the assessment,
respondents were asked to assess the presence of each recommendation in their state
according to the level of work currently taking place and its sustainability. Respondents were
also given the opportunity to detail their major barriers and/or successes in these areas, as
well as identify any support, tools, or resources SPRC could provide to help their state further
strengthen suicide prevention efforts.