State and local organizations established the Kansas Suicide Prevention Coalition in late 2021. As these groups work to address the rising rates of suicide statewide, the latest data available show rates of suicide are higher in the most rural parts of Kansas, known as frontier counties.
On February 15, 2022, the Kansas Health Institute (KHI) hosted a virtual discussion of federal and state strategies focused on reducing suicide in rural and frontier communities across Kansas. Wyatt J. Beckman, M.P.H., C.H.E.S., KHI Analyst, led the discussion.
KHI materials related to this topic are linked below.
- Slides from presentation: Suicide in Rural and Frontier Kansas
- Issue Brief: Urban-Rural Differences in Suicide Rates and Leading Means in Kansas (September 2021)
- A Kansas Twist — Federal Efforts to Prevent Suicide in Rural Communities (September 22, 2021)
- A Kansas Twist — State Efforts to Prevent Suicide in Rural Communities (September 28, 2021)
Important external resources referenced in the discussion include:
- Rural Health Information Hub: Rural Suicide Prevention Toolkit
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Preventing Suicide in Rural America (2018 Policy Brief)
- Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services: Kansas Suicide Prevention Plan: 2021-2025
- Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ: Presentations and Training
A recording of the session is below. To view specific topics from the agenda, move the slider to the time listed.
- Introduction (0:00 on the recording)
- Kansas County Peer Groups (4:30 on the recording)
- Methods (6:23 on the recording)
- Analysis and Findings (7:08 on the recording)
- Discussion (12:13 on the recording)
- Federal Rural Suicide Prevention (13:40 on the recording)
- Discussion (23:00 on the recording)
- State Rural Suicide Prevention (26:55 on the recording)
- Discussion (43:18 on the recording)
The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.