Joining forces to prevent suicide

Suicide is the second-leading cause of fatal injuries for Hawai‘i residents. On average, almost 4 people die from suicide every week.

A total of 1,051 residents died from suicide from 2019 to 2023.

Those are disturbing statistics, so the state and several partners want to change the trend.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health is joining forces with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and other state, local, military, public and private sector partners to advance the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and Federal Action Plan by answering the call to care, connect and collaborate with other traditional and non-traditional partners.

“Suicide can be preventable, but effective suicide prevention needs partners across the state from different sectors and disciplines to care, connect and collaborate,” said Renee Yu, suicide prevention coordinator for the state Health Department’s Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch.

The goal of the partnership is to reach populations disproportionately affected by suicide and suicide attempts throughout the islands: men, rural communities, minorities and essential workers including farmers and first responders.

More than 76% of people who died by suicide from 2019 to 2023 in Hawaiʻi were men.

Men ages 20 to 59 years old had the highest risk for suicide death. Women ages 15 to 19 years old had the highest risk for suicide attempt.

Suicide and suicide attempts have lasting emotional, mental and physical health and economic impacts.

“It may seem suicide is a lone event — it is not,” said professor Thao Le, principal investigator for the Culturally-Based Community Connections for Resilience project. “A major reason though is feeling alone. We need a course correction and can only do this when we create conditions for connections, internally and externally, across all levels and all sectors.”

The Culturally-Based Community Connections for Resilience project, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, is aimed at creating a sustainable and collaborative peer-mentor network among Hawai‘i’s essential workers to reduce suicide and suicide risks by bolstering social connectedness and relationship building.

“Passive suicide is a slow and silent killer in the emergency medical services profession,” said Mark Kunimune, paramedic faculty emeritus and partner of the Culturally-Based Community Connections for Resilience project. “Having a program such as this one can begin to make a huge difference.”

Yu said the Culturally-Based Community Connections for Resilience project and initiatives like it brought to Hawai’i by its suicide prevention partners are saving lives and families.

If you are struggling, resources are available.

Help is just a call, text or chat away:

• Hawai‘i CARES 988 is a free crisis, mental health and substance use call center. Locally trained and qualified clinical and crisis call center staff provide supportive counseling and screening for urgent or emergent mental health or substance use needs, recommendations for behavioral health assessments, services and crisis interventions. Call or text 988 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• To learn more about suicide prevention in Hawai‘i, participate in free, anonymous online suicide prevention training.
• The Hawai‘i Poison Center provides help for poisoning emergencies. Call 1-800-222-1222. Help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Hawai‘i Chapter brings people together from all backgrounds.

Visit the Prevent Suicide Hawaiʻi Taskforce website for additional resources.