The Fairfield County Suicide Prevention Coalition is a community effort to reduce the incidence of suicide by increasing awareness, improving access to mental health services, and supporting survivors. We have twelve meetings a year, open to the public.

In 2020, Fairfield County was one of seventeen suicide prevention coalitions funded as part of the Strengthening and Sustaining Ohio's Suicide Prevention Coalitions (SSOSPC) Initiative. The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) partnered with the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF) and Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs to enhance the work of suicide prevention coalitions across the state and to align community efforts with the Suicide Prevention Plan for Ohio. With a focus on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) seven strategies for preventing suicide, participating suicide prevention coalitions were funded to engage in an eight-month learning community with peers and receive wraparound support services to strengthen local suicide prevention efforts and build community capacity to make a greater impact in suicide prevention across the state. Through participation in the learning community, coalitions:

• Conducted a Community Readiness Assessment (CRA) to better understand local conditions that guide appropriate suicide prevention strategies.
• Developed the knowledge and skills needed to increase infrastructure and support coalition sustainability.
• Enhanced strategic planning efforts through data-driven decision-making.
• Engaged in professional development and leadership skill-building opportunities.