About the North Dakota

Suicide Prevention Coalition

Providing hope through advocacy, communication, collaboration, and education

Our Story

In 2014, Kora Dockter experienced the unthinkable: losing a child to suicide.

Kora’s son Steven fought depression for a long time. After being hospitalized, Steven was left without a safety plan. His psychiatrist even told Kora that “the place is doing more harm than good.” Despite his depression, Steven wanted to live. He searched for a facility he thought could help him.

Steven passed away while waiting to be admitted to an out-of-state treatment facility. This underscores the high risk of suicide during periods immediately after discharge and before intake into a new program, particularly within the first 24 hours.

After Steven’s death, Kora–a pediatric nurse who had dedicated her career to advocating for children and families to receive best-practice health care–got to work. She sought out best practice suicide prevention and interventions that could have saved her son’s life. She began working with a group of suicide prevention experts and state partners in reviewing and disseminating best-practice healthcare strategies that have been proven to save lives.

In 2019, the North Dakota Suicide Prevention Coalition was formalized. Its vision: to provide hope to all generations, focusing on embedding a Zero Suicide approach across healthcare systems in North Dakota.

Who We Are

The North Dakota Suicide Prevention Coalition (NDSPC) is a coalition of educators, healthcare professionals, and public health experts with decades of combined experience walking with individuals through the darkest moments of their lives.

Kora Dockter

CEO/CVO

Alison Traynor

President/CFO

Sarah Kemp Tabbut

CIO/CQO

What We Do

We connect individuals with the resources, prevention training opportunities, and community partners they need to support their loved ones in crisis. We also hold our own annual conference, With Help There Is Hope, which is open to both professionals and the public.

Resources Trainings

Why We Do It

The suicide rate in North Dakota is higher than the national average and continues to increase.

49,369

Total Suicide Deaths in 2022

The highest number recorded

16

Suicide Rate Increase

From 2011 to 2022, the rate rose by 16%, moving from 12.3 to 14.4 deaths per 100,000 individuals

2

Leading Cause of Death Statewide

2nd leading cause of death for ages 10-24, 25-34, and 35-44 in North Dakota

Empowering us in the fight against suicide

Our work would not be possible without our generous sponsors. Thank you for supporting the mission of NDSPC. Together, we are breaking the stigma around suicide and saving lives across North Dakota.