Grant Activities

On October 21, 2004, the Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Memorial Act was signed into law by President Bush at a White House ceremony. The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act was introduced by Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) in memory of his son who had recently died by suicide. This legislation provides a funding mechanism for state agencies, college campuses, and tribal nations to implement suicide prevention, intervention, and awareness programs.


GLS State Grantee – University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health, Office of Public Health Studies (funding period 2021-2026 – https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/awards/2021/SM-19-006)

“Hawaii’s Caring Systems Initiative (HCSI) to Prevent Youth Suicide”

The overall goal of the Hawaii’s Caring Systems Initiative (HCSI) to Prevent Youth Suicide is to strengthen Hawaii’s suicide prevention system, across all prevention levels (primary, secondary, tertiary), to ultimately reduce youth suicide attempts and deaths. Activities will occur in parallel, at two levels: 1) State level, with focus on engaging healthcare (including mental health) and education systems; and 2) Community level, including intensive work with five “communities of focus.” Activities will include: 1) strengthening communication among stakeholders through the formation of “communities of practice” at both state and community levels; 2) implementing evidence-based trainings; and 3) assessing and strengthening systems. This project builds off of the substantial accomplishments and momentum set forth by the Prevent Suicide Hawai‘i Taskforce and Hawai‘i Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan.


GLS State Grantee – University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry (funding period 2011- 2014)

“Hawaii’s Caring Communities Initiative (HCCI) for Youth Suicide Prevention”

The overall goal of the Hawaii’s Caring Communities Initiative (HCCI) is to prevent youth suicide and increase early intervention. This was accomplished by increasing public awareness, increasing community-based support for youth suicide prevention, and expanding gatekeeper training in at-risk communities. Furthermore, HCCI promotes clinical practices and parent education to reach youth who have Updated 9/8/2023 9 attempted suicide. With the goal of preventing youth suicide and increasing early intervention, these projects have positively impacted atrisk communities and the statewide suicide crisis infrastructure in Hawai‘i. This Initiative aligns with the State’s strategic goals for suicide prevention, and builds upon previous efforts of the Hawai‘i Gatekeeper Training Initiative. HCCI implemented two strategic projects entitled Mobilizing Communities At-Risk (MCAR) and Enhancing the Statewide Trauma Network (ESTN), using the rubric of the Communities that Care (CTC) system.


GLS Campus Grantee – Chaminade University of Hawai‘i (funding period 2012-2015)

“E Ho‘opili No Na Haumana”

The E Ho‘opili No Na Haumana Project at Chaminade University of Honolulu has been thoughtfully and collaboratively developed to prevent suicide attempts and completions, and to enhance services for students with mental and behavioral health problems such as depression and substance use/abuse that put them at-risk for suicide and suicide attempts. In collaboration with a Native Hawaiian clinical psychologist who lost his son to suicide, the project adapted the QPR (question, persuade, refer) Gatekeeper Training to be more relevant to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals. The project also created a campus resource center that houses a wide array of resources, available to students and staff, that are specific to the cultures of the diverse peoples of Hawai‘i.


GLS Campus Grantee – University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (funding period 2012-2015; 2019-2022)

The University of Hawai‘i Suicide Prevention Program will serve a highly diverse student population and will target sub-populations that are at high risk for depression, suicide, and substance use issues, including Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, LGBTQ students, students with disabilities, veterans, and students who stigmatize mental health and / or rarely access mental health care prevention and support services. The goals of this grant project are to reduce mental health disparities related to our students’ race, ethnicity, gender and/or sexual identity; decrease reported levels of student distress and suicidal ideation on campus; and educate students and campus community about alcohol and substance use and abuse as a means of reducing high-risk and harmful student behaviors. Interventions and strategies used will include suicide prevention gatekeeper trainings, mental health and substance use focus groups, mental health screening, alternative mental health wellness intervention / prevention programming, and stigma reduction education.


GLS State Grantee – Hawai‘i State Department of Health (funding period 2008-2011)

The Hawai‘i Gatekeeper Training Initiative (HGTI) was implemented by the Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch (EMSIPSB) of the Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH). The aim was to reduce suicide deaths and attempts among youth ages 10-24 in our State. HGTI used three evidence-based training curricula: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), safeTALK, and Signs of Suicide (SOS). EMSIPSB leveraged grant resources by incorporating gatekeeper training into three systems that already impact significant numbers of youth in both the school and community settings. These agencies included: Department of Education (Peer Education Program, and School-Based Behavioral Health), the Department of Health Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (agencies contracted to provide treatment services in their Adolescent Substance Abuse Outpatient School-Based Treatment Program, and prevention services in their Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Partnerships Initiative), and the Honolulu Police Department (Emergency Psychological Services/Jail Diversion Program).


GLS Campus Grantee – University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Counseling and Student Development Center (funding period 2009-2012)

The project addressed seven goals focusing on infrastructure development needs: 1) assess system-wide and campus specific needs; 2) develop policies and procedures for responding to critical mental health events; 3) identify system-wide and community-based resources; 4) establish campus-specific resource networks; 5) increase awareness and knowledge of risk and protective factors for suicide attempts among gatekeepers; 6) increase awareness and knowledge of risk and protective factors for suicide attempts among students; and 7) develop informational, educational, and training materials regarding risk and protective factors for suicide attempts and mental health adjustment.