Dear Friends:
On behalf of the State of Connecticut, we respectfully present this State Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan for 2030 (PLAN 2030) with a great sense of purpose. This plan was intentionally developed by the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board (CTSAB) and its statewide coalition to be a resource for anyone looking to champion suicide prevention in the state, whether community member or professional, because everyone has an important role to play. PLAN 2030 aligns with the National Suicide Prevention Plan while also reflecting the unique needs of our state’s citizens to prevent suicide here at home. Together by striving towards the goals within, we may reduce the number of people taking their own lives through the improved well-being and connectedness of every resident.
Suicide remains a significant public health challenge in Connecticut even though suicide rates here are lower than in most of the United States. Each life lost is one too many. Suicide impacts individuals, families, schools, workplaces and communities in profound personal ways. However, each person and place affected has the capacity through collaboration to engage in opportunities enclosed in this plan to prevent future loss, support those experiencing thoughts of suicide, and respond with care and compassion to those who are grieving a loss. Working together ensures that no one feels they must face their darkest moments alone.
Preventing suicide is never the responsibility of a single person, school, workplace or community. It requires a unified effort through fostering environments of acceptance, patience, resilience and hope and effective practices that may be learned and utilized at home, in schools, workplaces, hospitals and throughout the community.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the individual advocates with lived experience who bravely came forward to help shape PLAN 2030; those with chronic thoughts of suicide, those who have survived suicide attempts, and survivors of suicide loss. We also thank the community advocates who work tirelessly to educate people about suicide as this is the first step to preventing it; the providers who create the time and space for meaningful conversations without the fear of immediate hospitalization when individuals are not in acute crisis; and the settings and systems working to identify and address the gaps in services and environments to improve safety.
We want individuals and families supporting them to know that you are not alone. The Department of Children and Families, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the CTSAB and coalition membership are sincerely committed to implementing PLAN 2030 and preventing further loss of life to suicide. We hope you find the plan informative and useful in your own efforts, and we are here to support them. Thank you in advance for your dedication to partnering with us to prevent further suicide attempts and deaths in CT.
Sincerely,
Susan Hamilton, MSW, JD
Commissioner
Department of Children and Families
Nancy Navarretta, MA, LPC
Commissioner
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services