Today, Brandon Johnson, Chief of the Suicide Prevention Branch at SAMHSA spoke at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Public Policy Forum.

He mentions the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s Lived Experience Advisory Committee and their involvement in the national strategies, along with many other projects that are currently underway.

As you can see, lived experience is being brought into all of these spaces. This work has been needed and it is being done.

I am so lucky to work in a space where my passion is encouraged to be brought to the table alongside people who are paving paths for us all. If you’re working in the space of lived experience, please connect and find out more about this important work and how the Suicide Prevention Resource Center is developing best practices that respect lived experience and honor the whole person as the expert they always have been.

A few of Brandon’s Key Comments and Current National Efforts:

“We’re holding a policy academy next month in Baltimore, where we’re inviting eight states to come in and develop an action plan to address Black youth suicide within their state.

There is a guide coming out very soon it’s in the final stages of clearance that is a guide for faith leaders to help address youth suicide within their faith communities.

Many are currently working on a revision to national strategies for suicide prevention. That revision was requested specifically by the White House. This one will be released in early 2024, and this builds off the 2012 strategy and b the call to action that came out in 2021.”

Watch the entire public policy video below: (Brandon’s segment begins at 1:14:19)
https://www.facebook.com/AFSPnational/videos/848699446683085/