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Advocacy and Public Policy

About SPAN USA, the Public Policy Division of AFSP

Founded in 1996 by Jerry and Elsie Weyrauch with the goal of preventing suicide through public education, community action, and advocacy, the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPAN USA) merged with AFSP in 2009 to create a public policy program within the Foundation. This program is dedicated to preventing suicide through public education and awareness, community engagement, and federal, state and local grassroots advocacy.

AFSP/SPAN USA believes in changing policy through:

Collaboration: AFSP/SPAN USA values the power of partnership and believes in engaging key stakeholders, especially those whose lives have been touched by suicide, in order to strengthen our nation's response to suicide.

Action: Information should be available and linked to action. Utilizing the best-available science, suicide prevention efforts should provide resources and education to every level of society, and action must be taken to remove barriers (such as of lack awareness and inadequate access to care) in order to address the problem of suicide.

As part of its mission, AFSP/SPAN USA continues efforts to create and help implement strategies for suicide prevention on the national, state and community levels. But we know that AFSP/SPAN USA’s public policy office in Washington, D.C., cannot do this alone; social change can only occur if it is driven by the collective action of individuals and communities across the nation. AFSP/SPAN USA’s Field Advocate Program seeks to inspire others to raise their community’s awareness about suicide and help spread the word that prevention is possible. 

AFSP/SPAN USA's Field Advocates work together with the AFSP/SPAN USA public policy office to fulfill the following objectives:

• Increase our public official's awareness of suicide as a public health problem in every community across the country;
• Promote local, state, and federal policies and programs that prevent suicide;
• Disseminate information to individuals in the community regarding AFSP/SPAN USA activities;
• Build partnerships with other local suicide prevention and mental health agencies, governments, media, and other organizations with a stake in public health;
• Help remove the stigma associated with suicide by bringing the subject out in the open and discussing what can be done to prevent it;
• Recruit additional Field Advocates to join AFSP/SPAN USA and the fight against suicide; and
• Give a voice to suicide survivors so they can become a positive force in the community and prevent future suicides.

Whether you are a Field Advocate, a survivor of suicide loss, or are interested in preventing suicide; AFSP/SPAN USA provides the information and resources necessary to become a successful advocate for suicide prevention. This includes regular news and updates from the AFSP/SPAN USA Washington, D.C. office, AFSP/SPAN USA’s federal and state policy resource centers, webinars on suicide prevention policy and information.