About the Cohort
Over the past several decades, suicide has grown as a national crisis, with rates rising more than 30% in 25 states between 1999 and 2016. In Missouri, suicide rates have grown even faster, and firearms are the leading means of suicide by a wide margin. In 2022, well over half (66%) of suicides in Missouri were by firearm.
Firearms are a uniquely lethal means of suicide - Firearms are responsible for more completed suicides than all other means combined. Nearly 9 in 10 firearm suicide attempts result in death. This means people in periods of crisis rarely get a second chance if they attempt suicide with a firearm. In comparison, overdose and cutting, while far more common, are fatal less than 5% of the time.
Despite the tragic out-sized role firearms play in suicide, examples of proven community-level strategies to address the issue are sparse. As a result, local leaders aspiring to reduce firearm suicide in their communities must be open to testing new approaches to determine what works best in their specific contexts.
This preventable crisis is why partners across Missouri are taking part in the Missouri Firearm Suicide Prevention Learning Cohort — a collaborative learning experience to develop, implement, and evaluate community-based strategies to address the issue. In 2021, Missouri Foundation for Health convened and funded 8 organizations to develop local-level firearm suicide prevention approaches based on their communities’ unique needs and assets. These organizations engaged in a 2-year planning period to learn about the issue of firearm suicide and how it uniquely manifests in their communities. Based on these insights, the Cohort organizations developed seven unique firearm suicide prevention (FSP) initiatives, which they began implementing in 2023.
Two years into implementation, learning remains at the core of the Cohort's efforts. Our members continue to assess what works and what doesn’t, adapting their initiatives in real time. Through this ongoing, iterative process, the Cohort aims to identify best practices and approaches that can serve as models for other communities seeking to reduce firearm suicide.
The Cohort is facilitated by Openfields, a social innovation consulting firm, that provides individualized coaching, technical assistance, and structured learning opportunities to all participants.
Learn More About the Missouri Firearm Suicide Prevention Learning Cohort
Missouri Firearm Suicide Prevention Learning Cohort Initiatives
The map below details each organization's FSP initiative and its geographic range. To get in touch with any of the initiative leads, visit the Organizations page.
To learn more about this work, please contact Meghan Chaney at Meghan@openfields.com.