In This Issue
The American Communities Project is undertaking a 30-month study of deaths of despair across the country, supported by The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. These are deaths resulting from drugs, alcohol, and/or suicide. The study includes data analysis as well as on-the-ground reporting in Georgia and Montana. Participants are: Dante Chinni, director; Ari Pinkus, senior editor; Lee Banville, professor at the University of Montana; Andy Miller, CEO and editor of Georgia Health News; and Ray Suarez, on-the-ground reporter. Data analysis, mapping and graphics by the Center on Rural Innovation. Note: This page will be updated with new content throughout the span of the study.
Issue Contents
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American Communities Experience Deaths of Despair at Uneven Rates
![](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_7353-900x720.jpeg)
A Closer Look at Deaths of Despair in Montana
![](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screen-Shot-2021-03-23-at-11.07.07-PM-900x720.png)
How Covid-19 and Deaths of Despair Combine to Affect Communities
![](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/s3swx-b-montana-b-1-900x720.png)
How Montana’s Despair Deaths Have Intersected with the Pandemic’s Isolation
![religion](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/religion-texture-900x584.jpg)
A Pastor Reflects on Suicide’s Impact in His Quaint Mountain Town — and Offers Hope
![](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image2-900x720.jpeg)
On a Mission to Stop Youth Suicide in Philadelphia
![](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/IMG_7935-1-1.jpeg)
In Metro Atlanta, Two Communities — One White, One Black — Differently Grapple with Deaths of Despair
![](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/51318021658_46ce7c8b9d_c.jpg)
Podcast: Dying in Georgia — Fast or Slow, but Too Soon
![](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/elijah-m-henderson-1Wyv1eWKCy0-unsplash-900x720.jpg)
Unpacking the Geography of America’s Youth Suicide Epidemic
![](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-07-at-10.24.01-AM.png)
Documentary Short: Teen Suicides in Rural America
![](https://www.americancommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/image0-2-rotated.jpeg)