Arkansas Crisis Center partners with UAMS to advance suicide prevention research

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An Arkansas suicide prevention center and a medical university are teaming up to develop insights into suicide in the state.

The Arkansas Crisis Center (ACC) is forming a collaboration with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Department of Psychiatry to analyze two decades of crisis hotline records. Officials said this collaboration will deepen understanding of mental health trends and evidence-based approaches to suicide prevention.

The project will be led in collaboration with Elissa Wilburn, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor in the UAMS Department of Psychiatry, who also serves on the ACC Board of Directors.

“For more than 40 years, the Arkansas Crisis Center has been a lifeline for Arkansans in distress,” Wilburn said. “This collaboration allows us to transform that experience into meaningful, data-driven insights—while upholding the confidentiality and trust that are at the core of ACC’s mission. Our goal is to use this information to strengthen prevention efforts and ensure that help is not only accessible but also proactive and effective.”

ACC officials said this collaboration is the first phase of a broader effort to improve approaches to suicide prevention.

To receive help for yourself or someone you love, dial 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Helpline.