A yellow ribbon is the symbol for Suicide Prevention Month, which occurs in September. Credit: Shutterstock / Jo Panuwat D

A new $3.6 million federal grant will fund four more years of suicide-prevention work at University Health targeting LGBTQ+ youth, according to officials with the county-owned health system.

The money will go to the Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Blueprint for Adults and Youth (CoSPLAY) program, which strives to reduce the suicide rate of LGBTQ+ people between the ages of 10 and 24. One of the program’s objectives is to lower the number of suicide attempts in Bexar County by 10% over the next four years, according to University Health officials. “It’s the beginning of another four years of very intense work, but we’re glad to be doing it,” University Health Director of Population Health Mercedes Ingram said in an emailed statement.

The funding comes as Texas continues to enact new laws limiting the rights of LGBTQ+ Texans, notably including one that prevents transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming care. Families and doctors have sued to overturn that law, but the Texas Supreme Court allowed it to remain in effect while the challenge proceeds.

One in three participants in a recent national survey of LGBTQ+ youth by the Trevor Project said their mental health was poor “most of the time” or “always” due to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and policies being adopted in Texas and other states. The survey also found that 41% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, including half of transgender and nonbinary young people.
The nonprofit Trevor Project was established in the late 1990s to curtail high suicide rates among LGBTQ+ young people. CosPLAY is designed to reach young people at risk of death by suicide and connect them to specially trained social workers. Campuses such as Our Lady of the Lake University, the University of Texas at San Antonio and San Antonio College and organizations including Alamo Area Teen Suicide Prevention Coalition and Fiesta Youth will work with University Health on the program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control are providing the funding for CosPLAY, University Health officials said.

The funding kicks in this week, which happens to be National Suicide Prevention Week. September also is National Suicide Prevention Month.

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