Almost four people die from suicide every week in Hawaiʻi, making suicide the second-leading cause of fatal injuries for Hawaiʻi, residents. The University of Hawaiʻi, at Mānoa and Hawaiʻi Department of Health (HDOH) announced they are teaming up with other public and private sector partners to reduce the number of suicides, particularly in groups with higher rates.
The goal is to reach the groups disproportionately affected by suicide and suicide attempts, such as men, rural communities, minorities and essential workers, including farmers and first responders.
The Culturally Based Community Connections for Resilience (CCCR) project, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services–Office of Minority Health aims to create a network among Hawaiʻi,’s essential workers to reduce suicide and suicide risks by bolstering social connectedness and relationship building.
“It may seem suicide is a lone event—it is not,” said UH Mānoa Professor Thao Le in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and principal investigator for CCCR. “A major reason though is feeling alone. We need a course correction and can only do this when we create conditions for connections, internally and externally, across all levels and all sectors.”
1,051 lives lost
A total of 1,051 residents died from suicide from 2019 to 2023. More than 76% of individuals in Hawaiʻi who died by suicide were men. Men ages 20 to 59 years old had the highest risk for suicide death. Females ages 15 to 19 years old had the highest risk for suicide attempt.
“Suicide can be preventable, but effective suicide prevention needs partners across the state from different sectors and disciplines to care, connect and collaborate,” said Renee Yu, suicide prevention coordinator for HDOH Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch. “CCCR and initiatives like CCCR brought to our state by our amazing suicide prevention partners are saving lives and families.”
Resources
If you are struggling, resources are available. Help is just a call, text or chat away.
- Hawaiʻi, CARES 988 is a free crisis, mental health and substance use call center. Call or text 988 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- The Hawaiʻi, Poison Center provides help for poisoning emergencies. Call 1-800-222-1222. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Visit the Prevent Suicide Hawaiʻi Taskforce website for local resources.
