Scaling Out S.A.F.E. Firearm Across Two Health Systems as a Universal Suicide Prevention Strategy
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11480141 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A proven firearm-safety intervention used during well-child and adult visits would be expanded across two large health systems to help prevent suicide.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | January 16, 2025 |
| Project end | October 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2027 |
| Award (this year) | $713,197 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH138333-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11480141 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients receiving care in pediatric, adult primary care, or women’s health clinics at participating health systems who may benefit from firearm-safety guidance and access to the S.A.F.E. Firearm intervention.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not engaging with the intervention or those in non-participating clinics may see no direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project builds on the ASPIRE trial to spread a universal firearm-safety intervention into adult primary care and women’s health clinics, aiming to reach broad patient populations. It tests implementation strategies like clinician prompts in electronic health records and dedicated support to clinics to achieve higher adoption. The study involves training providers, integrating decision-support tools, and providing facilitation to clinics to sustain the program across pediatric, adult, and women’s health settings. The goal is to reduce suicide risk by safely managing access to firearms in homes where patients live and may have children or other high-risk factors.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients and families could experience fewer firearm-related suicides through easier access to prevention tools and guidance during routine care.
How similar studies have gone: Previous ASPIRE results showed substantial improvement in reach from 3% to 54% with a combination of training, EHR prompts, and implementation support.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beidas, Rinad Sary — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Beidas, Rinad Sary
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.