Welcome!

Welcome to the October Office of Suicide Prevention newsletter! As our office continues to grow, we wanted to create a better communication channel to highlight new resources, community-level work, funding opportunities, and upcoming events. We hope you will find this a valuable resource to keep you plugged in to Suicide Prevention in Colorado!

Hats off to Heather! Heather Darbe wears many hats. Heather’s formal title (last time we checked, you know how fast these things move) was Training and Outreach Coordinator and Suicide Prevention Specialist, but let’s unpack that. She serves as the Regional Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator for Delta County, aligning and supporting evidence-based strategies for youth; she is the leader for the Montrose Suicide Prevention Coalition; she is the backbone for the Gun Shop Project in Montrose, Delta, Hinsdale, Ouray, Gunnison, and San Miguel Counties; she is in charge of the OSP Community Grant focusing on implementing the Zero Suicide model within the Center for Mental Health and its 10 county service region; and she also organizes a book club for mental health providers. I’m sure that’s just the tip of the iceberg too. In addition to all of that, Heather is also just a really awesome human and great partner in her community. Clearly Heather has found some way to cram more than 24 hours into each day!

Thank you Heather for everything you do to support your community!

PSST! Your Data is Showing. Have you explored the Office of Suicide Prevention’s Interactive Data Dashboard? Planned improvements to the dashboard include updating with emergency department discharge and hospitalization data, as well as some information based on Medicaid status. The Office relies on data while crafting priorities, funding, and future efforts. The data you and other partners provide directly informs opportunities for prevention, intervention, as well as identifies gaps in programming.

New Colorado Report Released on Excessive Alcohol Use and Suicide in Colorado

Excessive alcohol use is a risk factor for many harmful health conditions in our communities, such as injuries, violence, including suicide, and mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) released a new data report detailing how excessive alcohol use connects with suicide in Colorado. It is important to note that many factors contribute to suicide, such as substance use, depression, and intimate partner problems. Suicide prevention requires a comprehensive approach to adequately address multiple risk factors. However, it is clear that reducing excessive drinking could also reduce suicide deaths in Colorado.

To view the report, please visit this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W9wW49RJ84trGacpGq3Cz2ovLzyoumR-/view.

For more information on how to prevent excessive alcohol use, please visit: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/alcohol.

CAMS Training

The OSP will present opportunities to cover costs for CAMS (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality) training for select mental health and behavioral health providers in 2019. If you are interested in being notified of CAMS trainings sponsored by the Office of Suicide Prevention in 2019, please sign up here. Please email Lena.Heilmann@state.co.us with any questions.

Save the Dates for Zero Suicide

Zero Suicide is a commitment to suicide prevention in health and behavioral health care systems and is also a specific set of strategies and tools.  Most community mental health centers, some hospitals, and other healthcare systems are currently implementing Zero Suicide. Join the movement to zero in Colorado!  

Interested in learning more?  Attend a “Zero Suicide 101” Webinar on December 6, 2018 from 1pm - 3pm.  Contact emily.fine@state.co.us for details.

The OSP is pleased to offer our next Zero Suicide Academy for healthcare organizations on April 3-4, 2019.  The application page is expected soon, so stay tuned for the opportunity to send a team of 4 from your organization to the Academy to learn the ins and outs of implementation of this critical initiative.  

Request Materials!

The OSP has materials for MHFA, ASIST, SafeTALK, and QPR available for organizations needing financial assistance to provide community trainings. Click the links to request material assistance while supplies last!

You’re in Good Company

In advance of National Suicide Prevention Month, The Harris Poll conducted a national survey – on behalf of the National Action Alliance and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – to gain insight into the public’s perception of suicide and mental health. Survey results, released during National Suicide Prevention Week, found that:

• 94% percent would take action to help someone close to them who was thinking about suicide

• 64% of Americans would encourage a friend or loved one in crisis to seek help from a mental health professional

• 4 in 5 adults (78%) are interested in learning more about how they can play a role in helping someone who may be suicidal

Access the full report for more information about the public perception data.

Thank you for your service!
With Veterans Day approaching, we wanted to highlight a few resources specific to our community members who have served in the armed forces.

Get Resourced! Have you visited the Rocky Mountain MIRECC recently to check out all of the fantastic tools, podcasts, and resources available at your fingertips?

The Semper Fi Fund provides resources and support for post 9/11 combat wounded, critically ill, and catastrophically injured members of the US Armed Forces and their families.

Download the App! Provider Resilience gives healthcare providers tools to guard against burnout and compassion fatigue as they help Service Members, Veterans, and their families. A short self-assessment creates ratings of your risk for compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Various features encourage you to take restful breaks.

New Veterans Resource Center opens in Durango!

The new Sexual Violence Prevention Program’s RFA (Creating Supportive Environments) has been released! Please share with your networks.

Background:

The Sexual Violence Prevention Program is pleased to announce the availability of funds to enhance community-level primary prevention across Colorado in an effort to address root causes of sexual violence.

The SVP Program recognizes that there are important shared upstream factors that increase or decrease the likelihood of sexual violence perpetration and multiple other forms of violence such as: weak health, educational, and social policies/laws; diminished economic opportunities/high unemployment rates; community support/connectedness (Connecting the Dots). By funding strategies to impact these upstream factors and modifying characteristics of the community, we can influence healthy social, economic, and environmental conditions that have a sustainable impact for all communities.

This funding opportunity will support this work across two critical focus areas: Creating Protective Environments and Providing Opportunities to Empower and Support Girls and Women.

Due Date: November 16, 2018 at 5pm MT

To Access the RFA Package: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/svp