COLORADO: As Suicide Rates Rise, Colorado Is Fighting to Turn the Tide

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Colorado plans to roll out a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy in the first half of 2019. Using data to analyze suicide trends, the state has identified where to focus its efforts—also making the data public through an interactive dashboard. “Everything we do is data-driven,” said Jarrod Hindman, deputy chief of Violence and Injury Prevention at the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. To address suicide among youth, the state plans to implement the Sources of Strength peer leadership program in schools. To reduce suicide risk among adults, Colorado is launching the Gun Shop Project, a collaboration with gun sellers to educate gun owners about suicide prevention. For older adults, the state plans to focus on screening for suicide risk in primary care. To supplement these efforts targeting specific population groups, health care facilities across the state are adopting the Zero Suicide model to prevent suicide among all people who have contact with their health care system.

Spark Extra! Check out Colorado’s suicide data dashboard.