Dr. Patricia Wren (Health Sciences) was part of a team that has been awarded a generous federal grant for campus suicide prevention efforts.  Dr. Wren worked with two SEHS faculty members, Dr. Michael MacDonald (Teacher Development and Educational Studies) and Dr. Lisa Hawley (Counseling) along with Dr. Dalton Connally (Social Work) to develop GRASP - Grizzlies Response: Awareness and Suicide Prevention. GRASP is a comprehensive multi-dimensional program encompassing both the university and the southeast Michigan community.

The GRASP program approaches suicide prevention using knowledge, awareness, and skill development through training and education. The GRASP program will be developed to meet a diverse range of suicide prevention needs across the OU community, including residents, commuters, undergraduate students, graduate students, GLBT community, military families, veterans, American Indians/Alaska Natives. Ultimately, the goal of the grant program is to train over 20% of the campus community as well as key stakeholders. In addition, this proposal aims to increase awareness of suicide prevention campus-wide.

The grant, totaling over $600,000, is funded through the Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Memorial Act and managed by the Suicide Prevention Branch (SPB) within the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The GLSMA provides funding for youth suicide prevention programs and was created in memory of former Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith's son, Garrett, who died by suicide in 2003.

For more information about the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, you can read the text of the legislation here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-108publ355/html/PLAW-108publ355.htm