AAP and AFSP Youth Suicide Prevention Ambassador Project: Collaboration and Community Impact

To address the growing youth suicide public health crisis in the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to create a comprehensive response through the Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention. The collaboration between AAP and AFSP also resulted in the Community Youth Suicide Prevention program. This program leveraged each organization’s network of state-level chapters and brought together subject-matter experts in pediatric health, suicide prevention, and community engagement to develop the Community Youth Suicide Prevention program. Subject-matter experts were named statewide Suicide Prevention ambassadors. Ambassadors participated in an 8-month Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) educational series, which featured expert faculty in suicide prevention. Supported by a grant from the AAP, ambassadors developed an action plan of goals and activities centered around 5 domains based on the Blueprint. Domains focused on community suicide prevention strategies and included health equity, policy and advocacy, community partnerships, communications and media, and sustainability. Outcomes from the ECHO and chapter-based activities included increased knowledge of suicide prevention strategies along with increased commitment and confidence when applying suicide prevention education to community partnerships. Additionally, a special overview of the projects of 2 chapters, Maryland AAP and Mississippi AFSP, are presented.