This virtual workshop series will provide Campus GLS grantees with the knowledge, skills, and tools to continue their suicide prevention efforts beyond the end of their grant. The four-part workshop training will include stories and strategies from fellow grantees, peer ideas and feedback, exercises and group discussions, and will help individual grant teams create sustainability action plans for their suicide prevention activities or work in their campus community. The workshop series is designed specifically for 2nd and 3rd year campus GLS grantees who have established a grant infrastructure and activities and are ready to begin incorporating sustainability planning into their efforts. Drawing on adult learning principles, each session will build on the previous sessions, as well as on planning assignments and activities participants will complete between sessions. By the end of the series, grantees will have sustainability action plans that they can begin to implement as they move toward the final months of their grant.
Event & Training Types: General Webinar
Zero Suicide Webinar: Data-Driven Quality Improvement in Zero Suicide
In a Zero Suicide approach, a data-driven quality improvement approach involves assessing two main categories: fidelity to the essential systems, policy, and patient-care components of the Zero Suicide model, and patient-care outcomes that should come about when the organization implements those essential components. Zero Suicide implementation teams should identify key clinical care outcomes that indicate systems-level and clinical practice changes are having an impact, and establish systems to collect these data regularly to monitor areas for change and continuous improvement. Reviewing the existing quality improvement measures in the behavioral health field may be informative for establishing systematic data collection in your organization. In addition to quantitative data, organizations can also consider collecting qualitative data that assesses individuals’ experience and satisfaction receiving care.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to (1) understand how data collection can be used to enhance the care that health and behavioral health care organizations provide to individuals at risk of suicide, (2) describe the current status of quality improvement measures in the suicide prevention field, and (3) describe how one organization used data to improve suicide risk assessment practices.
Campus Sustainability Training Series #4 Secure Funding & Resources
This virtual workshop series will provide Campus GLS grantees with the knowledge, skills, and tools to continue their suicide prevention efforts beyond the end of their grant. The four-part workshop training will include stories and strategies from fellow grantees, peer ideas and feedback, exercises and group discussions, and will help individual grant teams create sustainability action plans for their suicide prevention activities or work in their campus community. The workshop series is designed specifically for 2nd and 3rd year campus GLS grantees who have established a grant infrastructure and activities and are ready to begin incorporating sustainability planning into their efforts. Drawing on adult learning principles, each session will build on the previous sessions, as well as on planning assignments and activities participants will complete between sessions. By the end of the series, grantees will have sustainability action plans that they can begin to implement as they move toward the final months of their grant.
Action Alliance Webinar: Developing Successful and Positive Suicide Prevention Messaging
Research shows that certain types of messaging about suicide deaths can increase risk among vulnerable individuals. Conversely, positive and safe messages have the potential to help individuals in crisis find the help they need, and educate the public about how they can be involved in preventing suicide. Recognizing this potential, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) and its partners are leading efforts designed to “change the public conversation about suicide and suicide prevention.”
While resources already existed to help journalists cover suicide in news reports, little guidance was available to guide other suicide prevention messengers. The Action Alliance’s Framework for Successful Messaging (link is external)(Framework) fills that gap. Drawing from research on effective communications and suicide prevention, the Framework is a resource to help those communicating to the public about suicide to create messages that are strategic, safe, positive, and make use of relevant guidelines and best practices.
Webinar Presenters
Mark Weber, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs/Human Services U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Executive Committee Member and Changing the Conversation Priority Initiative Co-Lead, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
Dr. April Foreman, Suicide Prevention Coordinator Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System Department of Veterans Affairs; Changing the Conversation Priority Initiative Member, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
Linda Langford, Sc.D. Evaluation and Communication Scientist, Suicide Prevention Resource Center
This webinar provides:
- An overview of the four elements of the Framework for Successful Messaging and how this resource helps to change the public conversation about suicide.
- Tips and guidance for using the Framework to message to create messages that are strategic, safe, and aligned with prevention goals.
- The importance of well-designed messaging during Suicide Prevention Month – and throughout the year.
Suicide Surveillance Strategies for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
SPRC’s Tribal Suicide Surveillance Project has completed a yearlong inquiry, which began in spring 2016, of key informants and tribal Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) grantees. Results including challenges encountered and strategies used to address suicide data topics such as taboo, data sharing, and gaining leadership buy-in will be discussed. Current GLS Project Director with American Indian Health and Family Services, Lauren Lockhart, will also present on their methods of data collection through community screening events and incorporating youth voice in the screening measure. Webinar participants will also be engaged in audience poll questions to foster a co-learning and open discussion environment.
Zero Suicide Webinar: Safe Care Transitions in a Zero Suicide Framework
In a Zero Suicide approach, safe suicide care in health and behavioral health organizations involves establishing guidelines and protocols that create smooth and uninterrupted care transitions across and within care settings. It is equally important to address suicide risk at every visit within an organization, from one behavioral health clinician to another or between primary care and behavioral health staff in integrated care settings. Some examples of innovative approaches to providing safe care transitions include establishing practices that remove barriers to scheduling follow-up appointments, creating agreements between acute care settings and outpatient providers to deliver care to discharged patients within 24 hours, using supportive contacts, involving peer support, and utilizing crisis services to provide care coordination and follow-up. During this webinar, presenters will help participants think of ways they can improve safe care transitions through their organizational policies using a variety of tools and resources.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to (1) Identify key care transition practices and partnerships for patients discharged from inpatient to outpatient care, (2) describe how one organization includes voices of individuals with lived experience in care transition practices, and (3) demonstrate how health and behavioral health organizations can establish partnerships with crisis service organizations to augment care transition practices.
Zero Suicide Webinar: Improving Care for Homeless Patients at Risk for Suicide
The Zero Suicide framework is based on the foundational belief that gaps in suicide care exist in sometimes fragmented and distracted health and behavioral health (HBH) systems. One population at risk for falling through these cracks is homeless individuals due to a lack of residential stability and the challenges for providers of ensuring successful transitions in care. Rates of suicide deaths among homeless individuals are approximately nine times higher than the general population (Poon et al, 2017). Findings from the most recent Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress indicate that for every 10,000 people in the United States, 17 of them were experiencing homelessness (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2017a). Significantly, 49% met the criteria for a severe mental illness and/or a chronic substance use disorder. Based on Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) data from 8 states, among the approximately 59,000 homeless patients who visited and were released from the ED, about 17% received care related to suicide or intentional self-inflicted injury (Sun, Karaca, & Wong (AHRQ), 2014). In a Zero Suicide approach, HBH providers should have practices in place that keep all patients at increased risk for suicide engaged in treatment, including attending to hard-to-reach populations such as homeless patients. During this webinar, presenters will share innovative and thoughtful ways they have successfully improved patient engagement and optimized safe care transitions for homeless individuals through their organizational policies and practices.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to (1) identify commonly experienced challenges in providing suicide care to homeless patients, (2) describe unique suicide screening, risk assessment, and safety planning considerations for this population, and (3) demonstrate how HBH organizations can establish meaningful partnerships with community organizations to augment safer suicide care practices for patients experiencing homelessness.
Using Surveillance Data from Youth-Serving Public Systems
Many state Garrett Lee Smith grantees struggle with accessing and using surveillance data to benefit their grant. Data from juvenile justice, child welfare, and public behavioral health systems in particular can strongly enhance youth suicide prevention activities, given that these systems serve youth with disproportionately high suicide rates. During this webinar, SPRC shared tips and resources from our newly released report, Breaking Down Barriers: Using Youth Suicide-Related Surveillance Data from State Systems. The attendees also spent time discussing their surveillance strategies and support needs with these populations.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify how suicide surveillance data from juvenile justice, child welfare, and public behavioral health systems can enhance suicide prevention efforts.
- Identify opportunities for accessing and using suicide-related data from these systems.
- Describe strategies peers are using.
Breaking down barriers: Using youth suicide-related surveillance data from state systems
Strategic Communication Workshop Series #1 Laying the foundation: Strategies for effective communication
This three-part workshop series will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and tools to enhance your suicide prevention communication efforts. During the first session, SPRC will be laying the foundation and going over strategies for effective communication. Participants will also have a chance to connect with their colleagues to learn more about their communication efforts.
After attending this workshop series, you will be able to:
- Describe the importance of strategic planning for communication
- Apply the components of the Framework for Successful Messaging
- Identify the right message and channel for your audience
- Identify other program components that should be in place to enhance the success of your communication
- Describe the importance of creating a safe and positive narrative
- Develop an evaluation plan for your communication
To access a series of five-to-six-minute webinar clips adapted from this workshop series, along with downloadable worksheets to help you put these skills into practice, visit our resource page on strategic communication planning.
Strategic Communication Workshop Series #2: Knowing your audience and how to reach them
This three-part workshop series will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and tools to enhance your suicide prevention communication efforts.
After attending this workshop series, you will be able to:
- Describe the importance of strategic planning for communication
- Apply the components of the Framework for Successful Messaging
- Identify the right message and channel for your audience
- Identify other program components that should be in place to enhance the success of your communication
- Describe the importance of creating a safe and positive narrative
- Develop an evaluation plan for your communication
To access a series of five-to-six-minute webinar clips adapted from this workshop series, along with downloadable worksheets to help you put these skills into practice, visit our resource page on strategic communication planning.