In 2006, Alberta Health and Wellness announced a $38.9 million commitment over three years to mental health projects for Alberta's children and youth. Of that funding commitment, $12 million has been designated to support three new suicide prevention initiatives. This investment, and the three suicide prevention initiatives it supports, directly relate to specific goals and objectives of A CALL TO ACTION: The Alberta Suicide Prevention Strategy. These three initiatives will form part of the implementation of this province-wide strategy. Alberta is taking action.
Alberta Takes Action on Community Help – will help to identify and support community helpers, the people youth naturally turn to in times of distress, through information, training, resources and the creation of better linkages with the professional supports in their area. 
An Overview of the Community Helpers Initiative
Alberta Takes Action on Active Postvention – will first help to enhance suicide bereavement support programs and services in the regions. It will also support communities and regions to take a more active approach to reaching families newly bereaved by suicide. An Overview of the Active Postvention Initiative
Alberta Takes Action on Intentional Overdoses – will work toward reducing access to the most commonly used method of suicide attempts among Alberta’s youth. This initiative will begin with in-depth research to identify the drugs, or classes of drugs, most commonly used for the purpose of intentional overdose. Once known, partners will work together to define and take action to reduce access to these classes of drugs. An Overview of the Intentional Overdoses Initiative
Best and Promising Practices in Suicide Bereavement Support Services: A Review of the Literature - The first phase of the Active Postvention Initiative is to develop or enhance suicide bereavement support services in Alberta.
Alberta Health Services – Alberta Mental Health Board is committed to ensuring programs and services are grounded in evidence from the literature and to evaluating all new initiatives. In keeping with this commitment, AHS-AMHB requested proposals for an external evaluation team to begin the development of an evaluation framework.
A key component of that evaluation process was the development of a literature review to synthesize what is currently known on suicide bereavement and suicide bereavement support, best and promising practices in suicide bereavement support and evaluation approaches. This literature review supports program development, implementation and evaluation.
Alberta Health Services - Alberta Mental Health Board is pleased to release Best and Promising Practices in Suicide Bereavement Support Services - A Review of the Literature.
Alberta Takes Action on Community Helpers Collaborative Evaluation Project: Literature Review and Summative Evaluation Report of Existing Evaluation Tools and Processes
Community Helpers is a program being implemented in pilot sites across Alberta. The focus of the Community Helpers program is to identify and support the community members or natural helpers that youth already access when experiencing a mental health problem.
Alberta Health Services is committed to ensuring programs and services are grounded in evidence from the literature and to evaluating all new initiatives. In keeping with this commitment, proposals were requested for an external evaluation team to conduct a formative evaluation of the Community Helpers program in Alberta.>
A key component of that evaluation process was the development of a literature review to synthesize what is currently known in the areas of youth mental health and mental health promotion as well as best and promising practices in key areas of program implementation and delivery. This literature review supports program development, implementation and evaluation.
Alberta Health Services is pleased to release Literature Review and Summary Report of Existing Evaluation Tools and Processes)