According to the 2023 Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Annual Report, 1,230 people died by suicide in Virginia. Each life lost to suicide represents not only a profound personal tragedy but also a loss for the entire Commonwealth. This report summarizes suicide prevention activities supported by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) during state fiscal year 2025.

Guided by the Suicide Prevention Across the Lifespan Plan for Virginia (2023), these initiatives represent coordinated statewide efforts to expand access to suicide prevention education, training, and resources, increase public awareness, promote early identification of risk, and provide communities with tools and interventions proven to reduce suicide risk.

Foundational to this work is the Regional Suicide Prevention Initiative (RSPI). RSPI continued to support Community Services Boards (CSBs) in delivering suicide prevention activities across every region of the Commonwealth. Regional Suicide Prevention Initiative (RSPI) activities are guided by three core goals:

1. Build community awareness of suicide and crisis warning signs through training and educational presentations

2. Promote safe storage of lethal means and reduce access to those most at risk of suicide

3. Support community and region-specific projects aligned with evidence-based prevention strategies

Each CSB submitted detailed plans outlining local needs, capacity-building, program implementation, sustainability, and outcome evaluation, enabling regional innovation while maintaining statewide coordination.

Training and education remain central to RSPI. In FY 2025, CSBs trained 24,633 Virginians through evidence-based programs, including Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), safeTALK, Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR), Signs of Suicide (SOS), Talk Saves Lives, Lock and Talk presentations and Adult, Youth, and teen Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). Virginia currently has 190 active safeTALK trainers, 140 Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) trainers, and 504 MHFA trainers, including 54 newly trained MHFA instructors this year. These programs equip individuals to recognize warning signs, intervene safely, connect at-risk persons to resources, and foster suicide-safer communities.

Lock and Talk Virginia, the Commonwealth’s leading lethal means safety initiative, reached new milestones in FY 2025. All 40 CSBs and Behavioral Health Authorities (BHAs) implemented the campaign, distributing 27,824 medication locking devices and 20,866 gun locks, conducting 144 presentations with 4,877 attendees, and engaging nearly 652,000 people through social media. A new youth-focused campaign, Talk About It, promoted mental wellness, help-seeking, stigma reduction, and lethal means safety among adolescents. CSBs integrated Lock and Talk messaging into school, community, and veteran-focused events, emphasizing safe storage practices and conversations about mental health.

Regional highlights demonstrate the breadth of activities across Virginia. CSBs engaged diverse populations through outreach, community events, media campaigns, youth programs, and culturally responsive initiatives. Examples include:

• Region 1 conducted multilingual outreach, distributed safety devices, and produced public service announcements reaching over 260,000 views.

• Region 2 emphasized outreach to under-resourced communities and veteran populations through campaigns, training, and youth-led projects.

• Region 3 East focused on youth, veterans, and underserved communities, reaching over 635,000 people via media campaigns and distributing thousands of safety devices.

• Region 3 West expanded the Are You Okay? (RUOK) program in which trained callers follow up with individuals with suicidal ideation recently released from hospitals. Additional outreach programs also integrated overdose prevention programing, veteran support and extensive evidence-based training.

• Region 4 coordinated Suicide Prevention Month campaigns, developed e-learning modules, and updated BeWellVA.com as a statewide resource hub.

• Region 5 implemented workforce and youth-focused campaigns, multi-level community engagement, and coalition-building, reaching tens of thousands across all counties.

The Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) strengthened support for military-connected communities, advancing initiatives in care, connection, and communication. Key activities included Military Culture Competency training, regional summits, resource distribution, and exploration of codifying a Suicide Mortality Review (SMR) process. Partner organizations implemented targeted outreach, including Youth Mental Health First Aid for educators, telehealth partnerships, and evidence-based local crisis system assessments.

The Suicide Prevention Interagency Advisory Group (SPIAG) continued to expand statewide collaboration across public health, education, higher education, and community organizations. SPIAG members shared evidence-based practices, technical assistance, and resources pertaining to Zero Suicide protocols, systems of support in schools, postvention strategies, and culturally competent programs. SPIAG also guided local communities to align their efforts with statewide objectives including enhanced early risk identification, awareness of warning signs of suicide, and access to behavioral health supports.

Together, the RSPI executed a unified, multi-level approach to suicide prevention in Virginia. The initiative’s implementation of evidence-based training, public awareness campaigns, lethal means safety, youth engagement, veteran-focused programs, interagency collaboration, and culturally responsive outreach strengthened capacity, reduced stigma, and improved the safety and well-being of all Virginians.