COLUMBUS, Ohio — CareSource announced it gifted a $250,000 grant on Thursday to the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Ohio AAP) to help support its Store it Safe Adolescent Suicide Prevention Program (SIS) across Ohio.
The program is meant to aid health care professionals to identify and address the risks of youth suicide.
“CareSource is proud to support the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2023,” said Dee Yocum, vice president of Ohio Market Operations for CareSource. “We are confident that by working together we will be able to significantly impact and reduce youth suicide rates across the state. It is critically important that we make great strides in addressing this growing problem.”
SIS began in 2015 and brings together health care providers, firearm advocates and community organizations.
Its goals, according to a statement published by CareSource, are to keep children safe from both unintentional and intentional death by firearms, medications or alcohol, to change the way firearm safety is discussed, and encourage families to store their firearms safely and teach their children about firearm safety.
“Ohio AAP is incredibly grateful for our long-time partnership with CareSource, which has helped us impact thousands of children and families across Ohio,” said Melissa Wervey Arnold, chief executive officer of the Ohio AAP. “Their support will allow us to take our SIS work out of the primary care setting and into the community, where we hope to impact even more youth and adolescents, particularly those in vulnerable populations.”
CareSource states youth suicide is impacting all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic levels. It says that, previously, prevention was focused on working directly with primary care providers and providing resources during office visits.
It states that this expansion will implement youth focus groups to ensure resources are reaching the populations with the highest risk. Ohio AAP will train organizations on counseling, screening, safety planning and utilizing resources.
“As a company, we invest in our communities to support better outcomes,” said Josh Boynton, senior vice president of Complex Health Solutions, CareSource. “Prioritizing preventative suicide resources like SIS empowers and informs youth and helps avoid future trauma within families.”
