This is a monthly newsletter from CDPHE regarding the Office of Suicide Prevention. | |
Edition 53 | September 2022 | |
OFFICE OF SUICIDE PREVENTION | |
Welcome to the September 2022 Office of Suicide Prevention newsletter! This month is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and National Hispanic Heritage Month. | |
Rockstar Partner Spotlight! | |
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Julissa Soto
For more than twenty years, Soto has dedicated her career to being a leading advocate for Latino immigrant equality, inclusion and health equity in Colorado and throughout the nation. From working with teen parent programs and serving on the Colorado Vaccine Equity Task Force, to promoting health equity at the American Diabetes Association, Soto has pioneered a wide range of programming designed to empower marginalized communities. Click here to learn more about Julissa and her work! to learn more about Julissa and her work!
Julissa currently serves as the Suicide Prevention Commission’s Suicide Attempt Survivor Representative and serves as a Co-Chair on the Commission’s Postvention Workgroup.
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Do you have a Rockstar Partner in your community that you would like to see featured in our next newsletter? Nominate them here by completing our Rockstar Partner Nomination Form. | |
Office of Suicide Prevention Updates | |
Click here to meet the Office of Suicide Prevention Team! | |
Colorado-National Collaborative | |
New workshops in El Paso County Aim To Help with Suicide Prevention: This news article highlights the partnership between the CNC’s Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office focused on educating the public about storing firearms safely and making them harder to access during a potential mental health crisis. | |
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The BHA released Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce in Colorado: An Approach to Community Partnership, a strategic plan to strengthen the behavioral health workforce in Colorado. This strategic plan is the first step in a transformative, thoughtful, and networked effort to build out an effective and supported behavioral health workforce.
Gov. Polis recently signed Executive Order D 2022-027 Concerning Apprenticeships for the State Workforce and Promoting Apprenticeship as a Solution for Colorado Employers. This order creates the framework to assist State agencies with creating career opportunities for more individuals through the development of Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs). Providing mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities are also a strategy of the Suicide Prevention Commission, included in the OSP’s 2022 Young Adult Suicide Prevention Recommendations and its workforce subrecommenation.
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During the last quarterly Suicide Prevention Commission meeting held in July, the Commission approved a new recommendation to: Support comprehensive suicide prevention strategies that specifically address the unique needs and experiences of young adults ages 19-24. Please continue to share this recommendation broadly with your partners!
The Commission currently has three open seats: Law Enforcement, Interfaith Organization and The Colorado Business Community. In October there will be a fourth seat open, for The Philanthropic Foundation seat. Here is the application for anyone who is interested in applying for these openings.
The Suicide Prevention Commission supports multiple workgroups: an Older Adults Workgroup; a Youth-Specific Initiatives Workgroup; the Governor’s Challenge Workgroup to Support Service Members, Veterans, and their Families; and a Postvention Workgroup. Click here to sign up for any of the workgroups. All workgroup materials can be found here.
If you have any questions or are interested in participating in the various workgroups or Commission meetings, please contact the Commission Coordinator Alise Nichols at alise.nichols@state.co.us.
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The next Zero Suicide Learning Collaborative will be held on Thursday, Oct 27, at 10am MST. Please email conlin.bass@state.co.us to be added to this calendar invite and listserv. | |
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Sources of Strength is excited to offer the FIRST free Coaches Training for Colorado participants on October 12-13, 2022. This training is possible through the continued partnership and support of the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) and the Colorado Attorney General's Office (AG). Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Monday, October 3, 2022
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Visit the Office of Suicide Prevention’s Training webpage for more information on CAMS, LivingWorks Start, and much more! | |
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Suicide Prevention & Crisis Response Training Grant for Colorado Schools and Districts. SB18-272 and HB21-1119 created a grant program to support Colorado schools and districts implement comprehensive suicide prevention and crisis response efforts. Grant awards are up to $10,000. Training activities must be completed, and funds must be spent within the fiscal year, from July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023. Click here to learn more. To apply, please complete the online application by October 23, 2022.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) will have mental health grants available soon for organizations serving rural Colorado. The grant application will open in October 2022, with awards and contracts finalized in early 2023. CDA is finalizing the guidelines for the grant program. Interested applicants are encouraged to join CDA’s Rural Mental Health Newsletter List for updates.
CDC Foundation Releases RFP For Veteran Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project. The Veteran Suicide Prevention Evaluation: Demonstration Project Evaluation Capacity Building Grants RFP is now available and will be due on October 5, 2022 (at 12:00 p.m. EST). Click here for more information.
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RESOURCES - Hot off the Press!
*Disclaimer: The following resources and events do not necessarily reflect the Office of Suicide Prevention’s views or opinions.
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Please note: There is an "Upcoming Events" section at the end of the newsletter. If your browser clips this email, please be sure to click "View entire message" to access all of the content! | |
National Hispanic Heritage Month | |
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Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Resources regarding Hispanic/Latinx Suicide Prevention from the National Alliance on Mental Illness can be found here.
Reconozca las Señales is an educational campaign based in California that shares tips for recognizing signs of suicidal despair and having conversations about suicide in Spanish.
The National Association of School Psychologists has safety and crisis resources translated into Spanish and other languages here. Topics include youth suicide statistics, prevention tips, grief, and trauma.
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Sexual Orientation Hate Crime Laws and Youth Suicide Risk. State laws that aim to prevent hate crimes related to sexual orientation may help reduce suicide among high-school-aged youth, suggests a recent study. Learn more about the Suicide Prevention Commission’s recommendation to create supportive, inclusive and safe communities, especially for LGBTQIA2S+ youth and young adults here.
Suicide Prevention Resources for Schools. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center has several materials to help put suicide prevention on the agenda for the academic year including: suicide prevention resources for middle schools and high schools; information sheets to help high school teachers and mental health providers prevent suicide; resources for teens who may be at risk; and a toolkit to help middle and high school students respond to a student suicide death.
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engAGED updated their Community Awareness Toolkit to help organizations in the Aging Network promote their activities—and the importance of social engagement. The Toolkit contains customizable materials including a consumer brochure, infographics, fact sheets, a PowerPoint presentation, sample newsletter and social media language, the UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale and a calendar of social engagement opportunities.
Suicide and Older Adults: What you should know. From the NCOA.
Sept. 18-24 was Falls Prevention Awareness Week, a nationwide effort to educate older adults and help them take action to protect their health and independence by preventing falls. Use the NCOA’s free toolkit for resources or encourage people to understand their fall risk by completing a Falls Free CheckUp.
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Cross-Pollinated Resources | |
Climate Changes Health: Extreme Heat. This infographic highlights the dangers of extreme heat, the relationship with the built environment, ways for individuals to protect themselves, and solutions to promote heat mitigation and management. | |
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National Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible. Learn more about National Recovery Month and SAMHSA’s work to increase public awareness surrounding mental health and addiction recovery here.
United Suicide Survivors International invites to you complete a survey about suicidal experiences and soul exhaustion.
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Helping Kids Thrive. September 28th at Creighton Middle School (50 S Kipling St, Lakewood, CO 80226) from 5:00-8:45 pm MT.
Bullying and Its Impact on Mental Health. Webinar describing the forms of bullying (physical, verbal, relational, and cyber) and the factors that contribute to it. Participants will learn about the short- and long-term impact of bullying on the mental health of perpetrators, targets, and bystanders. The webinar will also identify protective factors that can prevent bullying and buffer youths from its adverse impact. September 28, 2022 from 12:00pm - 1:00pm MT.
In collaboration with local and state partners, Partners for Children's Mental Health (PCMH) is launching Trainers Connect Colorado (TCC), a network that brings together Colorado mental health trainers to intentionally learn from and share best practices and ideas with each other. Join for virtual quarterly meetings and ongoing opportunities to connect with other mental health trainers across the state. The focus of TCC is gatekeeper trainings (QPR, YMHFA, tMHFA, safeTALK, ASIST) for Colorado adults who regularly interact with youth. Meetings start October 11 - register today!
PCMH is hosting free Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) trainings in September and October for anyone 18+ interested in learning about suicide warning signs, prevention strategies, and how to support youth having thoughts of suicide. Training dates/times (MT):
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To improve the health, well-being and equity of all Coloradans through health promotion, prevention and access to health care. | | | | | |
