Welcome!

Welcome to the June 2021 Office of Suicide Prevention newsletter! Happy PRIDE Month!

Shannon Robinson

Shannon identifies as a Black LGBTQIA+ woman. Shannon has over 20 years of experience in GrassRoots organizing and Harm Reduction, six years of which included the Prevention Programs Manager for Western Colorado AIDS Project. Shannon is an activist for Black Liberation, Gender, Mental Health, and Economic Justice and is the founder of Action is Safer. Shannon’s vision is to empower women to build power in our communities. She is a longtime harm reduction advisor for multiple Western Slope postvention and youth-led projects. She is a recent graduate of the Colorado OSP's Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training program. Her hope is to become an IPS trainer and to bring IPS training and support to Western Slope communities.

Do you have a Rockstar Partner in your community that you would like to see featured in our next newsletter? Nominate them here by completing our Rockstar Partner Nomination Form.

Equity and Suicide Prevention

The Office of Suicide Prevention has released this information sheet on equity and the impact of disparities, suicidal despair, attempts, and fatalities among Coloradans. 

Colorado National Collaborative (CNC) 

The Larimer County Juvenile Gun Safety Coalition has joined with many organizations, including CNC partner Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County, to foster awareness of gun safety and teens struggling with mental health issues with the “It Only Takes a Moment” campaign covering gun safety tips and teen mental health awareness. Check out this powerful PSA video featuring Larimer youth! 

Older Adults Workgroup

The Office of Suicide Prevention has recently created an older adults workgroup, focusing on suicide prevention for adult,vgxs33z ages 65+. Our next meeting will take place on Friday July 23rd, 9:00-10:30 am. For more information, please reach out to Dymond.Ruybal@state.co.us. 

Zero Suicide Colorado Learning Collaborative

Every month we hold an interactive online Learning Collaborative for health system leaders working in suicide prevention. Experts in health care-based suicide prevention, advocates who speak on their lived experience, and a diverse array of other guest speakers join health system leaders from across Colorado in discussing state of the art approaches to improving care and saving lives. The next collaborative will take place virtually on July 22, 2021 from 10:00-11:00 am. To learn more about Colorado’s efforts please visit our new webpage at cdphe.colorado.gov/suicide-prevention/zero-suicide-colorado 

Order Materials 

To order Man Therapy and other suicide prevention materials, please fill out and send this order form to CDPHE_SuicidePrevention@state.co.us. To order QPR or MHFA materials click the embedded links to be directed to the virtual order form.

New data publications from CDPHE’s Colorado Violent Death Reporting System: 

• Health Watch No. 114: Seasonal Patterns in Violent Deaths in Colorado, Colorado Violent Death Reporting System, 2004-2018.

• Factsheet: Firearm Deaths in Colorado 2014-2019

Our Branch is hiring! 

1. Working title: Violence Injury Prevention-Mental Health Promotion (VIP-MHP) Branch Director (#2342)

• Classification: Program Management III

• Status: Full time

• Funding: Permanent Funding

• FLSA: Exempt (not eligible for overtime compensation)

• Job location: Denver, CO

• Application deadline: The announcement will close on July 11, 2021, or when 60 applications total are received, whichever comes first.

2. Working title: Term-Limited Community Organizing for Prevention: Systems Change Specialist (#1959)

• Classification: Public Health and Community Outreach III

• Status: Full time

• Funding: Term-Limited Funding (funding cannot be guaranteed beyond August 31, 2022).

• FLSA: Exempt (not eligible for overtime compensation)

• Job location: Denver, CO

• Application deadline: The announcement will close on July 18, 2021, or when 60 applications total are received, whichever comes first. Applicants are encouraged to apply early.

So are our friends in Vital Statistics 

3. Position Title: Term Limited - Lead Statistical Analyst Mortality Surveillance 

• Classification: Statistical Analyst II

• Job Location: Denver, CO

• Close Date: July 09, 2021, or unit an adequate pool exist

If you have difficulty with these links, please access the State of Colorado job website at 

https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/jobs

Trainings

Check out our new training website at cdphe.colorado.gov/suicide-prevention/training

LivingWorks Start Training
The OSP is pleased to provide our partners across Colorado FREE access to the LivingWorks Start suicide prevention gatekeeper training. LivingWorks Start is a one-hour, online, interactive training program that gives you the skills and knowledge to keep family, friends, co-workers, and others safe from suicide. For more information, click here.

We still have PLENTY of licenses available. To access the training, click here and enter access code: OSP Gen. Please note that licenses are available for use on a first come, first served basis. Please do not share the URL and access code outside of Colorado. *LivingWorks Start works best with Google Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge browsers. It is not Internet Explorer compatible. If you have any questions or issues accessing the training, please contact Dymond Ruybal at Dymond.Ruybal@state.co.us.

Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)
In light of COVID-19, the OSP has moved all CAMS trainings to a virtual platform. If you are a behavioral health provider interested in participating, sign up to receive more information here. 

Are you CAMS trained? Use your skills to help reduce suicide in Colorado! CAMS trained providers now have the option of registering on the CAMS Clinician Locator, which will route new clients to your practice, particularly those looking for competent clinicians, trained in evidence-based suicide-specific treatments. Please consider signing up to help your community find you.

Working with Military & Veteran Families: Tools for CO Mental Healthcare Providers 

The Colorado Governor’s Challenge Team is excited to provide these 10 brief PsychArmor training modules chosen specifically for Colorado's mental healthcare providers. You’ll find tools to aid your understanding of military culture and the unique challenges faced by military families.

After having completed at least 70% of the courses, participants will be certified as a "Veteran-Ready Healthcare Provider" by the Colorado Governor's Challenge Team and PsychArmor. Organizations with at least 70% of their clinical staff reaching this threshold will receive the designation of "Veteran-Ready Organization."

*The Governor's Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) is a national initiative focused on developing and implementing suicide prevention best practices for SMVF, using a public health approach. The Colorado team, formed in 2018, is an interagency taskforce comprised of community leaders from the military, public health, and nonprofit spaces. For additional questions on the CO Governor’s Challenge, please contact matthew.wetenkamp@state.co.us

In the News

"Having conversations around mental health and emotions is one of the most important things adults can do to check in with children regarding suicide ideation.” Colorado's youth suicide crisis is worsening. Survivors and experts say we can all help featuring the Office of Suicide Prevention, the Second Wind Fund and Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County
 

""It's important that those who suffered a loss receive proper “postvention,” making sure the family, friends, workplace and community that have been impacted are getting comprehensive support.” 5th-worst in US: What to know about grief, prevention amid Colorado's suicide crisis

General

Survey to Identify Training Needs Benefiting Mental Health Providers
The Mountain Plains Addiction Technology Transfer Center (MPATTC), funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is conducting a survey to identify the training and technical assistance needs of providers of mental health treatment. Please take 10 minutes to complete the survey and help MPATTC to prioritize and plan training and technical assistance activities in Colorado.

Older Adults
The SAGE of the Rockies program is a welcoming space to take an engaging class, try a new activity, attend a fun event, or find social support. As an affiliate member of the nationwide SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) network, the program is designed for older adults (age 50+) in the LGBTQ community and their allies.

Sound Affects music programming connects professional musicians with Colorado elder individuals living in senior care facilities Through live performance, one-on-one residencies, and advocacy, Sound Affects meets the needs of those who are prone to isolation and who cannot access public music in the ways that they wish.

Youth & Young Adults

The PRIDE Toolkit is Here!
The Denver community has come together to create this resource-filled toolkit in response to concerns raised by Denver LGBTQ+ youth. Youth have lived experiences that show how necessary it is for adults who work with queer youth to provide more informed, compassionate and affirming support.

Overdose Prevention
Naloxone Distribution: New Ideas and Strategies Webinar: This is a recorded shared learning session on approaches used to increase naloxone distribution throughout the West and working with community-based organizations.

Cross-Pollinated Resources 

Two articles that use data from Colorado’s Researching Sexual Violence Prevention using Resiliency, Strengths, Virality, and Protective Factors' study have been recently published! This study is a CDC-funded randomized controlled trial conducted in collaboration with Sources of Strength, Dr. Dorothy Espelage and Dr. Peter Wyman, with the goal of expanding evidence base for sexual violence prevention by evaluating the Sources of Strength program for additional outcomes. You can access the articles below using the links below.

• Valido, A., Rivas-Koehl, M., Espelage, D. L., Robinson, L., Kuehl, T., Mintz, S., & Wyman, P. (2021). Protective factors of homophobic name-calling and sexual violence perpetration and victimization among LGB, trans, and heterosexual high school students. School Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09453-7.

• Rivas-Koehl, M., Valido, A., Espelage, D. L., Robinson, L., Hong, J., Kuehl, T., Mintz, S., & Wyman, P. (2021). Understanding protective factors for suicidality and depression among U.S. sexual and gender minority adolescents: Implications for school psychologists. School Psychology Review. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2021.1881411.

2021 Suicide Prevention Summit: Seeking Healing During COVID-19 for the Black & Native American Communities. Virtual Event. July 13-14, 2021

When It is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide Webinar. Wednesday July 14th, 10:00 am MST 

Firearms, Means Safety, and Suicide Prevention: A Clinical Workshop. This training will address the problem of suicide, the integration of firearm and means safety into clinical practice, and the cultural challenges of conversations about firearms with clients and patients. Thursday July 22nd, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm MST 

Alternatives to Suicide Peer Support Group Facilitator Training in Larimer County: hosted by Colorado State University. The Alternatives to Suicide approach was developed by the Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community (RLC) as one of the only peer-to-peer groups that truly focuses on the topic of suicide. Rather than assessment and risk, these groups are based in creating a non-judgmental space in which to discuss suicide and other taboo topics. *Please note: This training is most beneficial to peers outside of traditional mental health services. Community Mental Health Centers are not able to provide Alternatives to Suicide groups. July 22-24 from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm MST

The American Association of Suicidology (AAS), American Counseling Association (ACA) and Mental Health Academy (MHA) have partnered to bring you the world’s largest free Suicide Prevention online conference, the 2021 Suicide Prevention Summit. July 24 -25, 2021. 

Groups for Suicide Loss Survivors: Southwest Metro Denver Survivors of Suicide Online. 1st Thursday each month 7:00 – 8:30 pm MT https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85197318864 or call (669) 900-6388 and enter meeting ID 851 9731 8864. 3rd Monday each month 7:00 – 8:30 pm MT https://us02web.zoom.us/j/278090979 or call (669) 900-6388 and enter meeting ID 278 090 979 

Groups for Suicide Attempt Survivors: Surviving, Striving & Thriving *This group will begin meeting weekly starting July 1st! 2nd Thursday each month 6:30 – 8:00 pm MT https://us02web.zoom.us/j/454337444 or call (669) 900-6388 and enter meeting ID 454 337 444