How OSUSPP Came to Be
The Ohio State Suicide Prevention Program was founded in 2007 and funded by the GLS Grant until 2013. Starting in 2013 and into the present, The Ohio State Suicide Prevention Program has been funded by partnership between the Office of Student Life and College of Education and Human Ecology. The main service provided by the program is REACH© trainings. These trainings help faculty, staff, and students Recognize warning signs, Engage with empathy, Ask directly about suicide, Communicate hope, and Help suicidal individuals access care and resources. Nearly 10,000 Gatekeepers have been trained since the programs founding, and around 1500 of those people were trained just this year! The program collaborates with university administration as well as with over 70 campus and community partners including the Franklin County Suicide Prevention Coalition, Mental Health America, and Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation Advocacy. The Ohio State regional campuses also offer trainings to provide this information to those living outside the Columbus area. Get signed up today for a REACH© training and learn how you to properly engage the community when talking about suicide and encourage participation and support of the program’s mission in the eye’s of the student community and wider public.
Our Mission: The Ohio State University Suicide Prevention Program (OSUSPP) works to engage a campus community of nearly 100,000 students, staff and faculty through education, outreach and advocacy. We are committed to creating a systematic, inclusive, diverse, and coordinated effort where suicide prevention is seen as a shared campus responsibility.
The Ohio State University Suicide Prevention Program (OSUSPP) aims to educate all members of our campus community about suicide prevention. We are dedicated to promoting a culture of caring among our staff, faculty, and students. We also believe that one of the best ways to decrease suicide risk is by reducing stigma related to mental health. As a result, our suicide prevention strategies are intentionally designed to engage a campus community of nearly 100,000 students, staff, and faculty through education, outreach, and advocacy. This would not be possible without our broad and diverse network of over 70 campus and community partners. We are committed to creating a systematic and coordinated effort where suicide prevention is seen as a shared campus responsibility.
Additionally, as the nation’s largest university, OSUSPP recognizes it’s responsibility to assume a leadership role in the development and dissemination of a sustainable suicide prevention program that is effective for large campuses. We are happy to consult with professionals and higher education institutions about our current research findings on the effectiveness of our suicide prevention gatekeeper trainings, assessment tools, and best practices for creating a comprehensive campus suicide prevention plan. We appreciate opportunities to collaborate with and learn from the efforts of our fellow colleges and universities as well.
Thank you for taking the time to visit this site! We hope it is helpful in expanding your knowledge of suicide prevention and understanding the model we use at OSU. For additional information, email suicideprevention@osu.edu or call 614-688-5829.
