Oklahoma University receives $50 million grant to lead national suicide prevention center

Continuing the University of Oklahoma's leadership in combating suicide, the Southwest Prevention Center (SWPC) at OU Outreach last week received a five‐year, $50 million grant to head the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), a university news release stated. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funds the resource center and provides the award. For nearly 40 years, SWPC has worked to improve behavioral health outcomes in Oklahoma and across the nation. Through the grant, its team will guide and refine SPRC in offering support and training to communities, health systems, institutions and organizations nationwide, equipping the people who do the frontline work in suicide prevention. The new grant also renews OU's management of the center. SWPC assisted with the OU Health Campus application for SAMHSA's previous five‐year grant in 2020, and it was designated as a major partner in the Health Campus's work. “The significance of this award is national in scope, but deeply personal in its impact — it is about offering hope, reducing suffering, and ensuring that every life is valued and protected,” said Belinda Biscoe, OU senior associate vice president for outreach.