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Suicide Prevention Zero Suicide training offered to local health professionals Core belief of program is that suicide is preventable

Portsmouth Herald - 10/15/2017

EXETER - As part of the continuing commitment to prevent suicide, the administration of Exeter Hospital will be offering a two-day training seminar in November, available to people working in the health care industry.

The Zero Suicide model has received international recognition for reducing suicide deaths by integrating mental health, addiction and physical health services.

Exeter Health Resources will sponsor the two-day Zero Suicide Academy in New Hampshire on Nov. 29 and 30 at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel in Portsmouth. The academy will accept teams of four people from health care organizations to participate. The application process goes through the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Zero Suicide staff who will review them together with Exeter Hospital staff.

Zero Suicide is endorsed as part of the U.S. National Strategy for Suicide Prevention issued by the U.S. Surgeon General.

Recent studies have shown that the majority of people contemplating suicide had recent visits with their primary care providers, not necessarily for mental health issues. One study published by the American Journal of Psychiatry offered the following statistics:

- 70 percent of individuals who die by suicide visited their primary care providers within one year of their death.

- 45 percent visited within 30 days of their death.

- 18 percent of elderly visited on the same day as their death.

The Zero Suicide training will be facilitated by EDC Inc., a group started in 1958 by MIT researchers and scholars. They conduct educational seminars across the United States and in 22 countries.

Julie Goldstein Grumet, Ph.D., director, Zero Suicide Institute, director, Health and Behavioral Health Initiatives at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center of EDC in Washington, D.C., said Zero Suicide is an opportunity for health care providers to be more effective when it comes to the topic of suicide.

"We provide a bundle of evidence-based approaches that when delivered in a bundle become an effective tool to manage cases where suicidal thoughts are suspected," said Goldstein Grumet. "Many health care systems, while very good and well-intentioned, are not very well prepared to deal with suicide. Often they have received little training in the area of suicide prevention."

So, Goldstein Grumet said when friends or family suspect someone of having suicidal thoughts, they send them to health care providers and think the problem is taken care of, which might not be the case.

"They think great, they will get help," said Goldstein Grumet. "But if the provider is not trained in the right approaches, to ask the right questions, they are not going to reach the person. Sometimes they do not have the right resources to deal with the case, so they don't ask, or they may ask in ways that encourage the person to deny their feelings."

The Zero Suicide Academy training is an attempt to address the issue head on. Goldstein Grumet said they call it "zero" because that is the only number of suicide they will accept.

"As health and behavioral care providers we play a major role in preventing suicide and encourage those interested in implementing the Zero Suicide framework to join us in this important initiative," said Debra Vasapolli, director of communication for Exeter Hospital. "The academy is underwritten by Exeter Health Resources and there is no cost to attend."

The core belief of Zero Suicide is that suicide deaths for individuals under care within health and behavioral health systems are preventable. The evidence-based approach of Zero Suicide is based on the realization that suicidal individuals often fall through the cracks in a sometimes fragmented and distracted health care system.

The Zero Suicide Academy is a two-day training for senior administrative and clinical leaders of health and behavioral health care organizations that seek to dramatically reduce suicides among patients in their care. Using the Zero Suicide framework, participants learn how to incorporate best and promising practices into their organizations and processes to improve care and safety for individuals at risk. Zero Suicide faculty members provide interactive presentations and small-group sessions, and collaborates with participants to develop organization-specific action plans.

Goldstein Grumet said the training is based on seven tenets.

1 Lead: Create a leadership-driven, safety-oriented culture committed to dramatically reducing suicide among people under care. Include suicide attempt and loss survivors in leadership and planning roles.

2 Train: Develop a competent, confident, and caring workforce.

3 Identify: Systematically identify and assess suicide risk among people receiving care.

4 Engage: Ensure every person has a suicide care management plan, or pathway to care, that is both timely and adequate to meet his or her needs. Include collaborative safety planning and restriction of lethal means.

5 Treat: Use effective, evidence-based treatments that directly target suicide.

6 Transition: Provide continuous contact and support, especially after acute care.

7 Improve: Apply a data-driven quality improvement approach to inform system changes that will lead to improved patient outcomes and better care for those at risk.

Vasapolli said a systematic approach to implementing suicide prevention is both available and necessary. She said Zero Suicide provides the tools for a system-wide approach to improve patient outcomes.

For information on the upcoming Zero Suicide training, contact Debra Vasapolli at dvasapolli@ehr.org.

For information, visit www.zerosuicide.com, or email zerosuicide@edc.org, and at www.zerosuicideinstitute.com.