NCDHHS launches suicide prevention plan for Black youth

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services looking to fill a gap in suicide prevention. 

A new analysis of data from 2023 shows Black youth ages 10-24 are overrepresented in emergency room visits related to suicide but were underrepresented in calls to the national suicide hotline. 

NCDHHS says it plans to address that rise by launching the Black Youth Suicide Prevention Action Plan. 

The plan focuses on expanding mental health support. 

“Mental health is very important, especially with Black youth. It’s a taboo topic that needs to be talked about more,” Miss Wilmington Riverfest Teen Taylor Sanders said. 

Sanders is using her platform to raise awareness about suicide prevention. She says her passion for the cause comes from personal experience. 

“I was one of those teenagers. I didn’t want to call. I called my best friend two years ago saying ‘I don’t want to be here,’ and ever since that day, I’m grateful to God that I am still here,” she explained. “I do think that the state, New Hanover County and Brunswick County needs to come up with a better way.” 

The department identified 17 counties where resources are needed the most, two of which include New Hanover and Brunswick County. 

“These are hotspots, these are communities where we really weren’t penetrating, or we really didn’t have enough resources and so that was a great place to start,” Kelly Crosbie with NCDHHS explained. 

Crosbie is the Director of the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services.  

She says the data reveals one in five black highschooler have thought about suicide. For middle schoolers, it’s even more alarming at one in three.  

Crosbie says the initiative will help guide future policy decisions. 

“We need to make sure that we’re customizing with local community interventions that actually resonate with and work for Black youth,” she said. 

Sanders feels the new initiative is a step in the right direction, but that barriers are still in place. 

She says when she tried to call a suicide hotline, she waited on hold for two hours. 

“That two hours could mean that you are already dead and I feel like we need to come out with a better way,” Sanders said. 

Sanders is also holding a suicide walk on November 12 in Wilmington. For more information, you can visit the event page or follow Sanders on Instagram and Facebook.