
Mental Health Meets Firearm Safety: Innovative Strategies to Reduce Firearm Suicide
April 16, 2026
Details
- Date: Thursday, April 16
-
Time:
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT
- Event Category: Webinars
- Event Tags:Behavioral Health, Health Equity, Violence Prevention
Venue
- Virtual
Firearms are involved in 55 percent of suicides in the United States, accounting for more than 27,000 deaths every year as documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Yet this crisis remains largely invisible in public discourse. This webinar makes the case that the tools to act are already within reach.
This webinar brings together practitioners, funders, and public health leaders working at the intersection of mental health and firearm safety. Hear how mental health systems can integrate firearm access screening across the continuum of care, and why culturally responsive assessments are essential to making these approaches effective and equitable. Learn from Stanislaus County’s firsthand experience adopting this model and join a candid conversation about the funding strategies, system changes, and community partnerships that make this work possible.
Speakers:
- Cuco Rodriguez, Chief Strategist & Equity Officer, Hope and Heal Fund
- Rob Wilcox, Executive Director, Fund for a Safer Future
- Ruben Imperial, Behavioral Health Director, County of Stanislaus, CA
- Brian Malte, Executive Director, Hope and Heal Fund (Moderator)
