Webinars

Situational Obstacles for Suicide Prevention: Gatekeepers and the Moderating
Effect of Social Support - Taylor Moore, June 2, 2009

Veteran Suicide Risk: The Role of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder - Peter M Gutierrez, Ph.D. . May 29, 2008 (wmv file)

Incorporating Positive Youth Development Into Your Prevention Program

Reports

Comprehensive Community Based Suicide Prevention Plan
The Office of Suicide Prevention works to facilitate the design and implementation of Suicide Prevention Plans in Colorado communities. The Office has developed a comprehensive plan to guide communities in the development of a plan that fits their community.

Suicide in Colorado report
Statewide needs and resource assessment.  The Colorado Trust, in collaboration with the Office of Suicide Prevention completed a statewide needs and resources assessment that studied services and systems in place to serve suicidal individuals, the barriers to assistance for those at risk, and trends in suicide attempts and completions.  This report was released in February 2002 and is available electronically or as a hard copy through the Office of Suicide Prevention and The Colorado Trust.

Other Activities

Resource clearinghouse. The Office of Suicide Prevention has available a resource library with information on suicide, prevention programs, mental illness, statistics on suicide and related risk factors, as well as other related information. All of this information is available for public use.

Public awareness campaign.  The Office of Suicide Prevention provides outreach efforts to Colorado communities, including presentations, town meetings, providing informational materials, a speakers’ bureau, and distributing suicide prevention posters statewide.

Training. The Office of Suicide Prevention has training curricula addressing different components of suicide intervention and prevention at the community level. The Office of Suicide Prevention has trainers throughout Colorado to provide training in suicide prevention.

Grant making. The Office of Suicide Prevention administers funds to local communities for suicide prevention and education efforts.

The Office of Suicide Prevention provides public awareness materials to residents of Colorado, free of charge.  The following are examples of some of the materials available.

Posters

Youth poster#1	Youth poster#2	Youth poster#3/Spanish
Youth secrets	Youth secrets/Spanish	Treatment for depression/Spanish
Treatment for depression	Cell phone/Spanish	Cell phone
Depression/Spanish	Depression	Elderly
Middle age male	Middle age male/Spanish	Start the Conversation
Start the Conversation Spanish	Start the Conversation Poster 2	Start the Conversation Poster 2 Spanish
Start the Conversation Poster 3	Start the Conversation Poster 3 Spanish	Youth Suicide Prevention Brochure
Youth Suicide Prevention Brochure Spanish

Start the Conversation Decal	Start the Conversation Button	Start the Conversation Bumper Sticker
Start the Conversation Decal Spanish	Start the Conversation Button Spanish	Start the Conversation Bumper Sticker Spanish

Risk Factors

• Depression, bipolar disorder, or other mental illness
• Significant loss (divorce, death, loss of health, separation, break-ups, loss of respect)
• Pressure to succeed
• Family problems
• Poor self esteem
• Family history of suicidal behavior
• Someone close to individual has completed suicide

Warning Signs

• Talking about suicide, death, or preoccupation with dying
• Trouble eating or sleeping (sleeping all the time, unable to sleep at all, not able to eat or overeating)
• Significant changes in behavior and/or personality
• Withdrawing from family and friends
• Loss of interest in activities, work, school, hobbies, or social interactions
• Giving away prized possessions
• Previous suicide attempts
• Increased drug and/or alcohol use
• Statements about hopelessness, or worthlessness
• Taking unnecessary risks
• Sudden happiness or calmness following a depressed mood
• Obsession with suicidal means (guns, knives, hanging materials)
• Problems in school or work performance
• Chronic pain or frequent complaints of physical symptoms
• An inability to concentrate, trouble remembering things

What To Do

• Take all suicide threats seriously. Listen and express concern in a nonjudgmental way.
• Take action! Get the individual connected with professional help.
• Ask questions openly ("Do you have a plan? Will you talk with someone who can help?")
• Show that you care.

What Not To Do

• Do not keep it a secret
• Do not sidestep the issue or treat it lightly.
• Do not leave the person alone.
• Do not offer simple solutions.
• Do not judge.
• Do not offer or suggest drugs or alcohol.
• Do not try to be a therapist. Get professional help.

• Search for state and county suicide data

• Injury in Colorado report (contains suicide data) 

• Suicide in Colorado report 

• Adams County 303-853-3500
• Boulder County 303-447-1665
• Jefferson County 303-425-0300
• Eastern Colorado 970-522-4392
• Western Colorado 970-945-2241
• Southwest Colorado 970-247-5245
• Southeast Colorado 1-800-511-5446
• Arapahoe County 303-617-2300
• Denver County 303-436-4100
• Larimer County 970-498-7610 or 970-221-2114
• Midwestern Colorado 970-249-9694
• Pikes Peak Region 719-635-7000

• San Luis Valley Region 719-589-3671

• Weld County 970-353-3686

• Pueblo County 719-545-2746

• Suicide Resource Center of Larimer County 970-635-9301

• Heartbeat 719- 596-2575 (Founding Chapter/ Colorado Springs)
  303- 794-3564 (South Metro Denver Chapter)

• S.A.F.E./ Moffat County Visiting Nurses Association 970-824-8233

• Route County Suicide Crisis Intervention Line 970-879-1632

• Pueblo Suicide Prevention Center Teen Hotline 719-564-5566

• Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado 303-377-3040, ext.41  

State Resources

• Heartbeat Survivors After Suicide
• Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
• Suicide Education and Support Services of Weld County
• The Suicide Prevention Partnership
• Jefferson Center for Mental Health
• Jefferson Center for Mental Health: End Teen Suicide Life Matters
• Mental Health America of Colorado
• Project CASE
• SAFE:TEEN
• Suicide Resource Center of Larimer County
• The Second Wind Fund

National Resources

• American Association of Suicidology
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• National Institute of Mental Health Research Consortium
• National Alliance for Mentally Ill
• National Mental Health Association
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center
• People Prevention Suicide - College Suicide Preventio

Since its inception, a key initiative of the Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) has been an annual community grant program. In July 2009, the OSP awarded eight new community suicide prevention grants totaling $85,000 to agencies throughout Colorado to implement and evaluate suicide prevention and intervention training programs through June 30, 2012. Using data from the Colorado Violent Death Reporting System and the Colorado Health Information Dataset, the OSP identified the following priority target populations, and/or those that work with the priority populations, to receive training: older adults, men ages 25 to 54, Native Americans, women ages 45 to 64, first responders, LGBTQ adolescents ages 18 to 24, and returning veterans. By the end of this funding period, a minimum of 525 people will be trained. Below is a description of the projects being implemented by the eight community agencies awarded funding.

Our partner agencies:

Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities’ Suicide Education and Prevention Program for Seniors (SEPPS) provides gatekeeper training to service providers, caregivers, family members and other community members to recognize and asses the risk of suicide among high-risk older adult populations and refer clients to appropriate health and mental health care providers. Through OSP funding, Catholic Charities is providing Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) gatekeeper training to older adults and to those that work with older adults in Denver, Weld and Larimer Counties.

Eagle River Youth Coalition
Eagle River Youth Coalition is working to increase the number of gatekeepers in the community. First responders and front line youth workers, including law enforcement, fire fighters, emergency medical providers, 911 operators, school counselors, and nurses, are the targets to receive training through ASIST, QPR and safeTALK.

Jefferson Center for Mental Health
Working in partnership with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Center of Colorado, the Jefferson Center for Mental Health is implementing safeTALK training to GLBTQ adolescents ages 18 to 24 and adults who work with that population in Jefferson, Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties. Along with Safe TALK, a half-day session on GLBTQ identity issues and unique risk factors has been incorporated into the training day. The Jefferson Center for Mental Health is working with trainers from the GLBTQ Center to develop a healthy and supportive atmosphere for the sessions, working with participants to develop a common language, and addressing issues such as the coming out process, societal stigma, coping behaviors, and unique risk factors for a variety of health and safety related issues including mental health disorders and suicidal ideation.

Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center
Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center is using QPR Gatekeeper trainings as a main tool in supporting high suicide risk populations: adults ages 65 and older, men 35-54, women ages 45-64, first responders and returning veterans. With 13 QPR trainings over the next 10-month period, the Center will train 181 individuals to recognize suicide warning-signs and how to Question, Persuade and Refer a suicidal person to a professional who can help. Training will be provided in Montrose, Delta, Gunnison and Hinsdale Counties.

Rural Solutions
Within the nine counties in northeast Colorado, Morgan, Logan, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Cheyenne, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma, Rural Solutions is providing QPR Gatekeeper trainings to those who directly care for older adults, such as nursing home and assisted living staffs, adult protection teams, health care providers, home health organizations, Hospice organizations, meet-and-eat sites and elderly service organizations.

San Luis Valley Community Mental Health Center
The San Luis Valley Community Mental Health Center is providing Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Safe TALK training to older adults and those that work with older adults, first responders, and men ages 35 to 54 throughout the San Luis Valley.

Southern Ute Community Action Programs, Inc.
The Southern Ute Community Action Programs, Inc. is providing ASIST and Safe TALK gatekeeper training to community members throughout La Plata County, with an emphasis on their Native American Population and older adults.

Suicide Prevention Partnership Pikes Peak Region
The Suicide Prevention Partnership Pikes Peak Region is providing QPR gatekeeper training to returning veterans and their families, and to older adults and those that work with older adults.

ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
The ASIST workshop is for caregivers who want to feel more comfortable, confident and  competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over 750,000 caregivers have participated in this two-day, highly interactive, practical, practice-oriented workshop.

QPR: Question, Persuade, and Refer – (link: http://www.qprinstitute.com/)
Asking questions, persuading, and referring are three simple steps that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. People trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. QPR can be learned in our Gatekeeper course. A gatekeeper is someone trained to recognize a suicide crisis and, because of his or her training, know how and where to find help.


 

The Office of Suicide Prevention, in the Injury, Suicide and Violence Prevention (ISVP) Unit at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is coordinating Project Safety Net, a comprehensive youth suicide prevention initiative in Jefferson, Douglas, Delta & Montrose, Weld, El Paso, and Pueblo Counties, and in the nine-county region of northeast Colorado.

The initiative will build a safety net for adolescents and young adults who are at a heightened risk for suicidal behavior. The safety net will be made up of adults who are able to recognize and respond to warning signs of suicide.

Adults working with adolescents ages 15-18 and adolescents’ parents or caregivers in the following key populations are the target population of the community initiative:
- Hispanic/Latino(a) youth;
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ) youth;
- Youth in the juvenile justice system;
- Youth enrolled in the child welfare system.

The initiative will:

• work closely with a local coalition and with a subcommittee advisory council of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado (SPCC);

• create and disseminate cross-system referral protocols for treatment and/or care of suicidal individuals;

• train gatekeepers in the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and the Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training; and

• orchestrate, with a marketing specialist, a public awareness campaigns targeting potential suicide interveners for community and campus-wide distribution. To view marketing material for youth suicide prevention - click here (link: http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/pp/suicide/index.html)
   

Outcomes:
Project Safety Net will accomplish the following four goals during the three years of the cooperative agreement:

1. Build capacity at the state and local levels for providing culturally competent suicide intervention and prevention services to youth.
    

2. Improve the ability of adults in the community to respond to suicide risk among Hispanic/Latino(a) and LGBTQ youth, and among youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.
    

3. Ensure that youth identified as suicidal are referred to and receive appropriate services in their communities.
    

4. Determine the effectiveness of Project Safety Net and advance what is known about suicide prevention targeting youth ages 10-18.

The OSP will conduct process, outcome, and performance evaluations throughout the cooperative agreement, and will contract with an evaluation team from Colorado State University (CSU) to design and implement outcome evaluation tools in each participating community. By the end of Year Three, Project Safety Net will have a sustainability plan in place in each community and evaluation measures will show overall project success.

Visit our partner agencies:
(agencies and the county(ies) with which they work are listed below)

Colorado State University
Dr. Peter Chen, PhD, Colorado State University (CSU), will work closely with the Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) Project Safety Net staff to design the evaluation instruments, and assist the OSP with developing and implementing the evaluation designs with the foci on process evaluation and outcome evaluation in each of the Project Safety Net communities. The CSU evaluation team will revise evaluation instruments for outcome evaluation of ASIST and QPR training programs, conduct outcome analyses, and strengthen capacities of program sustainability, as well as referral and follow-up process as needed.

Douglas County School District (Douglas County)
In order to develop and support a seamless continuum of suicide prevention and intervention strategies, Douglas County School District and the Suicide Prevention Alliance of Douglas County will map and report on existing and needed resources for Hispanic/Latino(a) youth; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ) youth; youth in the juvenile justice system; youth enrolled in the child welfare system in order to establish protocols for prevention and intervention. They will also work to create a sustainable ASIST trainer cadre, and hold quarterly ASIST trainings to get 100 community and school-based adult gatekeepers trained, along with holding quarterly QPR trainings to ensure 60 gatekeepers are trained.

Dynamic Family Design (Weld County)
To build local level capabilities and service for providing culturally competent suicide intervention and prevention services, Dynamic Family Design will work to improve the ability of adults in Weld County to respond to suicide risk among Hispanic/Latino(a) youth; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ) youth; youth in the juvenile justice system; youth enrolled in the child welfare system. They will do this by increasing the number of adults trained in ASIST and QPR trainings. They will also work to ensure that youth identified as suicidal are referred and receive appropriate services.

Jefferson Center for Mental Health (Jefferson County)
Since 1988, when the Jefferson County Suicide Prevention Task Force was established, Jefferson Center for Mental Health has been on the forefront of raising awareness of youth suicide and has played an active role in suicide prevention. With continued funding, the Jefferson Center will increase awareness of suicide risk among youth ages 10-17, particularly LGBTQ and Latino(a) youth, as well as youth involved in the juvenile justice system and child welfare systems by equipping gatekeepers with suicide intervention skills through ASIST and QPR trainings.

Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center (Delta, Montrose, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Ouray, and San Miguel Counties)
Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center (The Center) will work to have trainers who can meet the areas need, and to have culturally competent suicide intervention and prevention services available to high-risk youth populations. The Center will serve to further the awareness and knowledge of the public health concern of youth suicide and how Project Safety Net is designed to help.

Pueblo Suicide Prevention Center (Pueblo County)
Pueblo Suicide Prevention Center will work to develop a new suicide prevention crisis intervention protocol for School District 60. Staff that work with different high-risk students programs will be selected to receive ASIST trainings; with a focus on training 150 school professionals per year in the three year grant cycle. Based on the intense work that has already been done by the Safe School/Healthy Student Initiative Mental Health integration Team and the overwhelming positive response that Pueblo Suicide Prevention Center has already experienced with the first three years of Project Safety Net, it is believed that there is a high degree of community readiness to implement this project.

Rural Solutions (Logan, Morgan, kit Carson, Lincoln, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma Counties)
Rural Solutions will build capacity in Northeast Colorado to provide culturally competent suicide intervention and prevention services to youth, especially those in the high-risk population of Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ and youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. They will do this by ensuring that adults who work with these populations are trained professionals who can offer services to these youth throughout Northeastern Colorado.

Suicide Prevention Partnership Pikes Peak Region (El Paso County)
The Suicide Prevention Partnership will build capacity in El Paso County to provide culturally competent suicide intervention and prevention services to youth. They will strengthen the ability of the adults in the community to respond to suicide risk among Hispanic/Latino(a) and LGBTQ youth, and among youth involved in juvenile justice and child welfare systems. The Suicide Prevention Partnership will ensure that youth identified as suicidal are referred to and receive appropriate services in their communities.

ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
The ASIST workshop is for caregivers who want to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over 750,000 caregivers have participated in this two-day, highly interactive, practical, practice-oriented workshop.

QPR: Question, Persuade, and Refer
Asking questions, persuading, and referring are three simple steps that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. People trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. QPR can be learned in our Gatekeeper course. A gatekeeper is someone trained to recognize a suicide crisis and, because of his or her training, know how and where to find help.

For Project Safety Net 2006-2009 information, please click in the links below:

Project Safety Net 2006-2009 Information