Zero Suicide initiative to serve Martin, seven other counties
BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
Mountain Comprehensive Care Center has received an $800,000 federal grant to expand its suicide prevention work in Martin County and seven other Eastern Kentucky counties.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the funding through its Implementing Zero Suicide in Health Systems program. Federal records list the award as the “MCCC Zero Suicide Expansion” and show Mountain Comprehensive Care Center as one of two Kentucky organizations receiving Zero Suicide funding in 2026.
The grant will strengthen MCCC’s Zero Suicide Initiative in Martin, Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Magoffin, Perry and Pike counties.
MCCC has already built a foundation for the initiative through workforce training, evidence-based suicide risk screening and assessment, suicide-specific peer support services and integration of the Zero Suicide framework into clinical care. The new funding will allow the organization to strengthen the systems, policies and clinical practices used to identify people at risk, connect them with treatment and support them throughout their care.
“At Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, we believe every life has value, and we are committed to providing compassionate, evidence-based care for individuals at risk of suicide,” MCCC President and CEO Promod Bishnoi said. “This award allows us to build upon the important work already underway and continue strengthening a system of care that identifies risk earlier, responds more effectively, and helps ensure individuals receive the support they need when they need it most.”
The Zero Suicide framework emphasizes seven evidence-based elements: Lead, Train, Identify, Engage, Treat, Transition and Improve. Together, they guide health systems in building a culture committed to suicide prevention, training staff, identifying people at risk, engaging them in care, providing effective treatment, supporting transitions and continually improving policies and practices.
MCCC Crisis Services Director Janet Allen said the approach means responsibility for suicide prevention extends throughout the health care system.
“Zero Suicide isn’t a single program or a single conversation — it’s a commitment to making suicide prevention part of every step of care,” Allen said. “This framework helps ensure every interaction, every transition, and every member of our healthcare system plays a role in recognizing risk, providing evidence-based care, and supporting individuals throughout their recovery journey.”
Allen said the federal funding will help MCCC continue strengthening those systems “so that no one falls through the cracks.”
The Zero Suicide framework was developed through the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and is stewarded by the Education Development Center’s Zero Suicide Institute. SAMHSA provides federal funding to help health systems put the framework into practice and strengthen suicide prevention and care.
