Edition 49 |June 2022

Welcome to the June 2022 Office of Suicide Prevention newsletter! June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, And Intersex Pride Month!

Employment Opportunity

Suicide Prevention Follow Up Coordinator TERM LIMITED: This position will coordinate suicide prevention initiatives related to hospital follow-up and health care system quality improvement measures related to the Zero Suicide framework and provide technical assistance to hospital sites, grantees, and stakeholders working on implementing follow-up procedures and health care system improvements; collect and report performance measures to state and federal funders; and collaborate with other state injury and prevention programs in the VIP-MHP Branch. *Please note this is not a clinical or direct-service position.

• Status: Full-Time
• FLSA: Exempt (Not eligible for overtime compensation)
• Job location: Denver, CO
• Application deadline: June 10th, 2022

State Partners

BHA Advisory Council (BHAAC) is Currently Accepting Applications: The BHA is forming a BHA Advisory Council (BHAAC) and inviting Coloradans with lived behavioral health experience to co-create and inform the BHA’s vision and strategic plan. The BHA Advisory Council is currently accepting applications from Coloradans through June 11, 2022.

Commission

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. 

Every month we hold an interactive online Learning Collaborative for health system leaders working in suicide prevention. Experts in health care-based suicide prevention, advocates who speak on their lived experience, and a diverse array of other guest speakers join health system leaders from across Colorado in discussing state of the art approaches to improving care and saving lives. The next collaborative will take place virtually on Thursday, June 23rd, 2022 from 10-11 am MT. To be contacted for the next collaborative, please email the OSP Zero Suicide Coordinator, Conlin at: Conlin.Bass@state.co.us.

Training

Sources of Strength

The Office of Suicide Prevention, in conjunction with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, is hosting two Sources of Strength Train-the-Trainer events this summer! There are still spaces available for both trainings: An in-person event in Grand Junction, CO from June 27-30, 2022 and a virtual event August 1-4, 2022. The OSP will be covering registration costs for these events. Please apply here; applications will be reviewed and prioritized on a rolling basis.

CAMS

The OSP is pleased to announce that we will be hosting our next free, virtual CAMS training for Colorado providers on Thursday, June 30, 2022. Please feel free to apply yourself, or share the below application link with your partners. Deadline: Friday, June 17, 2022. 

Visit the Office of Suicide Prevention’s Training webpage for more information on CAMS, LivingWorks Start, and much more!

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!

Equity

Preventing Black Male Suicide: A Roadmap to Action

The Center on Colfax: Engaging, Empowering, Enriching & Advancing the LGBTQ Community of Colorado

ONE Colorado: LGBTQ+ Resources

Coming Out: Living Authentically as LGBTQ Latinx Americans: A resource is designed to aid LGBTQ Latinx Americans in navigating the intersectional challenges when coming out.

LGBTQ mental health and suicide prevention from AFSP

Youth and Young Adults

Erasure and Resilience: The Experiences of LGBTQ Students of Color: One of a series of reports on LGBTQ students of color that examines the school experiences of Latinx LGBTQ youth. Other reports in this series examine the experiences of AAPI, Black, and Native and Indigenous LGBTQ youth. 

The Trevor Project

This new report from the Trevor Project found that more than half of AAPI LGBTQ youth experienced discrimination based on their race/ethnicity in the past year — and those who did reported higher rates of attempting suicide in the past year. 

How to Support Bisexual Youth: An introductory educational resource that covers topics and best practices for supporting the bisexual youth in your life.

Facts About LGBTQ Youth Suicide: LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society.

Black & LGBTQ: Approaching Intersectional Conversations: Approaches for before, during, and after a difficult conversation to make sure the dialogue – and your mental health – stays safe.

A Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth: An introductory educational resource that covers topics and best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary young people. 

Older Adults

How to Respond to Suicide Risk in Older Adults

USAging is the New Coordinating Center for Commit to Connect: An Initiative Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness. 

The Moderating Effect of Social Support Between Loneliness and Depression: Differences Among Older Adults of Different Ages: A new study found that loneliness was linked to depression among older adults of different ages.

Reaching People with Disabilities to Learn About Their Experiences of Social Connection and Loneliness: A recent article found that using alternative modes of recruitment in conjunction with conventional recruitment methods may be more effective in understanding the levels of social connectedness and feelings of loneliness among people with disabilities.

Veterans & Emergency Responders

All Clear Foundation and the Center for Relationship Education (CRE) have created relationship and communication skills content designed specifically for Emergency Responders: Responding to Your Relationships. Content covered is useful not only at home but in the workplace. CRE provides a two-day Certification Training which equips participants with the material for all 40 modules and license to teach within their agencies and communities. Typically, the fee for this certification is $1200. Recently CRE obtained a grant from the Anschutz Foundation to provide 21 scholarships to 21 Colorado Emergency Responders, making the training free. This is a tremendous opportunity to further the impact of this program among our personnel. CRE will be holding two events: one in Denver June 23-24 and one TBD in the Summit/Eagle County area in August or September. Please see the links below to learn more and submit an interest form here. 

Lethal Means Safety

Governor Jared Polis Signs Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Bill into Law. The bill was signed on May 25th and will go into effect on July 1st 2022.

Chaffee County Public Health launched a pilot program called the Chaffee Community Clinic (CCC) in Salida on May 23rd and in Buena Vista on May 31st. Harm reduction services will include safe disposal of syringes, free sterile syringes (Salida only), Naloxone, fentanyl testing strips, AcuDetox, education on overdose prevention, recovery, and peer support, and connection to Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT). Services: 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. on Mondays in the parking lot of the Salida United Methodist Church. Learn more here!

Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention: Fentanyl Overdose Prevention Campaign, Materials Needs Assessment. The Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention is developing a public awareness campaign to educate Coloradans about fentanyl. The Consortium is seeking input and insights from community organizations and partners regarding campaign materials and resources that would help in supporting efforts on the ground.

Cross-Pollinated Resources

Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado (SPCC) has released their 2022 Mini Grants Applications, now open through June 15, 2022. Learn more here. See their Mini Grant Rubric here. Download their grant application, here.

Older Women Veterans: How You Can Improve Their Health and Financial Security

Overdose Prevention Innovations: Naloxone Now Web App. Thursday, June 9, 2022. 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. MT 

Human Trafficking in Colorado: Force, Fraud and Coercion in Latinx Communities. June 14th, 2022, 12:00 -1:00 pm MT

Supporting Tribal Youth at Risk for Suicide: Honoring Children, Mending the Circle. June 14, 2022 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm  MT

Safe States Violence and Injury Prevention Conference. August 31st - September 2nd, 2022 

LivingWorks ASIST T4T. Denver, Colorado: October 3-7, 2022 . Training Location: Hilton Garden Inn Denver Cherry Creek. Cost is $3250.00 plus any applicable taxes per person.  Includes Trainer Materials, Lunches and Refreshments. Does not include: Transportation or accommodation. To be sent an application form for one of the above ASIST T4T's, please email ast4tregistrations@livingworks.net and include in your email the T4T location and dates of the training that you wish to attend.

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.