With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is excited to announce the expansion of its Community-Based Suicide Prevention for Local Health Departments online course. This free, self-paced training has been enhanced with new content, tools, and practical exercises to help local health departments build and sustain comprehensive, community-based suicide prevention efforts.

Now featuring five modules and approximately 4 hours of content, the course helps learners build skills in the following areas:

• Module 1: Strengthening Suicide Prevention Infrastructure
• Module 2: Building and Sustaining Cross-Sector Suicide Prevention Partners
• Module 3: Supporting Upstream Comprehensive Suicide Prevention
• Module 4: Promoting Lethal Means Safety
• Module 5: Organizing Response and Support After Suicide Attempts and Loss

The expanded course includes a new module on suicide prevention infrastructure and offers deeper guidance on upstream suicide prevention strategies, with examples of evidence-informed programs, policies, and practices for local health departments. Learners will explore hypothetical scenarios and interactive exercises designed to build confidence in identifying, assessing, and selecting prevention strategies that fit their community context.

In addition to videos, practical tips, new real-world examples from local health departments, and action-oriented guidance, the course includes a growing collection of downloadable tools and resources, including:

• The Upstream Suicide Prevention Strategy Match Cheat Sheet – a practical reference guide to help local health departments identify appropriate upstream strategies, approaches, and next steps based on their goals, partners, and community needs.
• Suicide Prevention Core Competencies for Local Health Department Staff – a framework that organizes essential suicide prevention competencies across multiple categories and three levels of career progression, helping staff identify opportunities for professional growth and capacity building.

Whether you are new to suicide prevention or looking to strengthen existing efforts, this course provides practical guidance and resources to help turn learning into action. While designed for local health department staff, the content may also be valuable to a broad audience involved in community suicide prevention, including suicide prevention coalitions, behavioral health organizations, schools, healthcare providers, and other community partners.

Start learning today! Use or create a free MyNACCHO login to access the course. For questions about the course, please contact NACCHO’s Overdose, Injury, and Violence Prevention Team at [email protected].