Together, we can save lives.
Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide (PC CARES) is a community health intervention designed, supported, and implemented by the remote communities of northwestern Alaska.
Learn about recent training outcomes in Alaska, or find out more about the research here.
“Essential ingredients” to PC CARES
Translating research into community-determined solutions
Information and ideas are offered across the prevention spectrum (universal, selective, and indicated prevention; post-vention)
…and on multiple levels: Individual, interpersonal, family, school, community
Presentations
Funding for developing and supporting research on PC CARES was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health (R34 MH096884 and R01 MH112458) and programming support was received from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in the plan to gather people from multiple sectors of the community for learning circles. We started sending packages to the people who’d attended a learning circle in their village as a way to stay in touch. After getting a positive reaction to the care packages, we decided to keep sending them regularly to anyone who signed up to receive them. Over 2 years, PC CARES sent Care Packages to 493 recipients in 49 communities in Alaska, with a total number of 1,319 packages sent.