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Missouri’s Suicide Prevention Coalition Academy

Missouri’s Suicide Prevention Coalition Academy is designed to help community prevention coalitions implement sustainable, evidence-based suicide prevention efforts. The academy is a year-long cohort starting with a 2-day, in-person training event and monthly virtual, follow-up Community of Practice & Education sessions.

Using the Community-Led Suicide Prevention Framework, participants will learn skills for effective suicide prevention including accessing and using data for suicide prevention, strategic planning, coalition building and maintenance, and more.

The objectives of the Suicide Prevention Coalition Academy are to:

Provide coalitions interested in adopting or expanding suicide prevention efforts with the skills and information necessary to be successful
Assist in developing strategic plans and implementing strategies for effective suicide prevention at each participating coalition
Create collaborations between community coalitions, local Prevention Resource Centers, and other statewide agencies to provide mentorship and support

The Suicide Prevention Coalition Academy is coordinated by Missouri Partners in Prevention, the Missouri Suicide Prevention Network Community Coalitions Subcommittee, and funded by the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Save the Date for May 13th, 2027!

A convening of coalitions who have participated in previous cohorts of the Academy will be hosted at the Missouri Behavioral Health Council (MBHC) in Jefferson City. Reach out to Margo Leitschuh at leitschuhm@missouri.edu with any questions.

We tentatively hope to host another formal Academy in Fall of 2027.

Community coalitions throughout the state of Missouri are encouraged to apply – coalitions served could include suicide prevention coalitions, higher education coalitions, substance use prevention coalitions, or any group with a shared desire to implement suicide prevention efforts. While there are no other specific coalition requirements (i.e., for coalitions to have been in existence for a certain amount of time, maintain a certain size, etc.), the coalition should have the capacity to be fully engaged in the coalition academy. Please review the expectations and time commitment outline below for more details.

Coalitions must attend the in-person Coalition Academy event with a team of 3-5 individuals including the person identified as the lead for suicide prevention efforts. It is strongly recommended that the team include at least one individual with authority for implementation decisions. We also suggest considering a diverse group of members for the team (e.g., individuals with various professional backgrounds, someone with lived experience, or from historically under resourced populations). Coalitions will also be expected to have representation at monthly, virtual Community of Practice & Education (CoPE) sessions throughout the following year.

All coalitions wishing to be considered for the Coalition Academy will submit the application materials by the due date.

Check back in Spring 2027 for application information!

Below are the expectations and time commitment for involvement in the coalition academy:

Completion of the application, including a letter of commitment and coalition interest letter.
Completion of a readiness assessment prior to attending the in-person Coalition Academy.
Attendance of 3-5 team members at the in-person Coalition Academy. Travel costs will be covered by project funding.
Attendance by at least 1 team member at all monthly, virtual follow-up Community of Practice & Education (CoPE) sessions over the following year.
Monitor and report on progress and action steps for suicide prevention efforts throughout the year.
Expected time commitment per month: Approximately 1-2 hours related to Coalition Academy events, plus time spent integrating evidence-based strategies/tasks/events for suicide prevention into coalition work. There may be a heavier time commitment during certain months.

The Suicide Prevention Coalition Academy application consists of:

A letter of commitment written by the coalition’s senior/executive leader. The senior/executive leader should review and approve the submission and agree to the expectations of participating in the coalition academy.

A coalition interest letter that, in two to four pages, responds to the following:

Why the coalition is interested in participating in the coalition academy and the goals for participation
Why the coalition would be a good fit for the coalition academy
What challenges (if any) you foresee for the coalition being involved in the academy
What opportunities your coalition is most excited about if chosen to participate in the coalition academy
Briefly list and describe the members of your team and the relevant skills, knowledge, and experience they bring to the academy The lead applicant will receive all correspondence and must be one of the team members

Check back in Spring 2027 for the application!

A tentative timeline for our fifth cohort/Academy to be hosted in Fall 2027 is as follows:

Applications open February 2027
Applications due May 1st, 2027
Notification of selection will occur in May 2027
Attend a preparatory webinar and complete a coalition framework assessment between May-June
Attend the in-person 2-day Coalition Academy (date TBD) in August/September (travel costs will be covered by project funding
Apply framework and Academy information to suicide prevention efforts and attend monthly virtual Community of Practice & Education (CoPE) sessions over the following year

The Community-Led Suicide Prevention Framework aims to support communities with best-practice tools related to 7 key elements:

Unity: Identifying leaders/partners and building capacity, creating a shared vision, working with other organizations
Data: Accessing systems data, gathering information on community context, using data to assess progress and make changes
Planning: Strategic planning process, using data to choose goals and objectives, putting the plan into action
Fit: Assessing community readiness, involving diverse populations, incorporating community context and culture
Integration: Combining multiple, evidence-based strategies, facilitating efforts with diverse settings and populations
Communication: Communicating internally and externally, ensuring safe suicide prevention messaging, developing strategic communication campaigns
Sustainability: Maintaining sustained partner commitment, implementing policy and practice change