Two members of the Missouri Governor’s Challenge state team (Jon Sabala, MO Dept. of Mental Health-Veterans Services Director and Lindsey Ward, Missouri Veteran Commission-Suicide Prevention Manager) attended the National Mayors/Governors Challenge Innovations Conference May 20-22, 2025. Representatives from 55 state and U.S. territory teams came together to learn about promising and best practices in suicide prevention for service members, veterans, and their families (SMVF). This annual conference is hosted through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
This year, national speakers and state teams presented on several topics and programs that address suicide prevention for SMVF. A few of the topics include transitioning to civilian life, supporting homeless veterans, suicide data, suicide mortality review, justice involved veterans, American Indian & Alaska Native (AIAN) veterans, sustainability strategies, and lethal means safety. It was great to see such a diverse range of topics and programs, all focusing on saving lives.
Not all discussions were focused on suicide prevention solutions. Several of the teams reported on similar barriers to addressing suicide prevention including funding for programs, transportation issues, delays in suicide data reporting, informing SMVF on existing programs/services, and challenges with sustaining volunteer networks. These discussions typically ended with team representatives sharing creative ideas on how to address these barriers.
The Innovation Conference was a fantastic experience. The conference was a great way to showcase successful suicide prevention strategies while allowing state teams to have open discussion on how to grow suicide prevention work. The Missouri Governor’s Challenge state team will use these lessons learned to bring new SMVF suicide prevention strategies to Missouri.
