NORMAN, Okla. – Continuing the University of Oklahoma’s leadership in combating suicide, the Southwest Prevention Center (SWPC) at OU Outreach has received a five-year, $50 million grant to head the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funds the resource center and provided 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.

“This grant represents far more than funding — it is a profound commitment to saving lives and strengthening communities across our nation,” said OU Senior Associate Vice President for Outreach Belinda Biscoe. “We are humbled and honored to lead this effort, bringing together science, compassion, and innovation to advance suicide prevention. 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.”

According to HHS, more than 49,000 people in the U.S. died by suicide in 2022, equal to one death every 11 minutes. An online survey conducted in 2024 by The Harris Poll, in partnership with the SPRC, found that nine in 10 U.S. adults believe suicide can be prevented at least sometimes, a shift in belief from decades ago that suicide was an inevitable outcome.

According to SWPC Director Marie Cox, the principal investigator on the grant, the resource center trains more than 14,000 people annually and has garnered about 1.7 million website views over the past five years. She said its continued connection to the university environment and to Outreach in particular provides unique advantages. 

“Outreach has deep expertise in bringing research to practice in the area of health and human services and SWPC is a national leader in building the capacity of public and behavioral health professionals to implement effective interventions.” Cox said. “Our SPRC team is setting the pace in this field, and we’re able to tap the resources of Outreach to guide and strengthen our work. 

We also have created a network of excellence in the suicide prevention field through strategic collaborations with key partners including Education Development Center (EDC), the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS), Social Science Research and Evaluation (SSRE), HealtheKnowledge, and A-G Associates.” 

About the project:

To read about the work of the SPRC, visit sprc.org.

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7. You can call or text 988 or use their chat service at https://988lifeline.org/.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center at the University of Oklahoma is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), under Grant No. 1H79SM090640. The contents of this news release are solely the responsibility of the University of Oklahoma and do not necessarily represent the official views of SAMHSA.