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CFS Staff Join National Leaders To Address Suicide Issues in Systems of Care

Thursday, September 28, 2006

In 2004, Florida had 2,382
confirmed deaths by suicide

9th leading cause of death for Floridians
5th leading cause of death for 5-14
3rd leading cause of death for youth 15-24
2nd leading cause of death for 25-34
5th leading cause of death for 35-44
3rd leading cause of death for 45-54

CFS’s Kathy Lazear and Stephen Roggenbaum recently attended a meeting to address suicide issues in systems of care, hosted by the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch (CAFB) of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) at the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). At the meeting, invited attendees worked to:

 

  • develop a policy statement that addresses suicide issues across systems of care in the areas of prevention, intervention, and postvention;
  • identify program policies and procedures for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention (including reduction of stigma associated with help-seeking behavior);
  • identify protocols that specify appropriate means of intervening with families and communities after a death by suicide;
  • identify specific strategies, including existing training opportunities, annual meetings, conferences, and an examination of how national and local evaluation efforts can be marshaled as resources to effectively address the issue of suicide in systems of care; and,
  • identify any working groups and/or continuing activities for additional follow-up work in the near future.

Attendees included: university faculty from Howard and Columbia Universities, SAMHSA staff, youth, National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health staff, Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Founders, Technical Assistance Partnership Deputy Director, Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc. staff, Suicide Prevention Resource Center Director, Director National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health at Georgetown, ORC Macro evaluators, Kentucky’s statewide suicide prevention coordinator, New Jersey Alliance of Family support, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention evaluator, Vanguard Communications President. CFS’s Kathy Lazear facilitated the meeting.

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