This is a monthly newsletter from CDPHE regarding the Office of Suicide Prevention.
Edition 44 | January 2022
OFFICE OF SUICIDE PREVENTION
Welcome to the January 2022 Office of Suicide Prevention newsletter! Happy New Year!
Rockstar Partner Spotlight!
Regional Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinators

Miranda Botts
Miranda Botts, LPC, LAC, is a Certified QPR Instructor with more than 18 years of therapeutic experience working with children, adolescents, and families in a variety of settings. Miranda is a lifelong resident of Western Slope of Colorado and a graduate of Western Colorado University and the University of Denver. As the Regional Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator in Mesa County, Miranda promotes mental health, recovery, resiliency, and education with the goal of reducing youth suicide in our communities. Miranda leads the Zero Suicide efforts at Mind Springs Health and has expanded training to all staff, more community-level coordination across the region, and has amplified the voices and ideas of those with lived experience through our Zero Suicide Champions efforts. Miranda has provided QPR training and consultation to many youth-serving organizations in Mesa County, as well as the wider Mind Springs Health region through Zero Suicide training and support with local health partners and rural hospital systems.  

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
The Office of Suicide Prevention is hiring!

The OSP is hiring for the Veteran Suicide Prevention Coordinator role which is responsible for leading veteran and firearm suicide prevention strategies in the state. Please see the below job posting for more details. 
Thank You from Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera to Hospitals Participating in Colorado Follow Up Project

With suicidal risk factors on the rise since the start of the pandemic, best practices in prevention are more important than ever. Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera shared her gratitude with hospitals actively participating in the Colorado Follow Up Project, which provides ongoing caring contacts to patients discharging
from an Emergency Department who are struggling with their mental health.

All Colorado EDs are eligible to participate in the Colorado Follow Up Project! We encourage hospital staff who are responsible for and interested in transition care and post-discharge services to reach out to the OSP with questions and to set up informational meetings. Please contact Corinne.Medina@state.co.us to learn more and connect about this important program.
Updated Suicide Investigation Form and Coroner Mini-grants

In an effort to standardize investigations of, and reports on, the cause and contributors to suicide deaths, we have collaborated with organizations that investigate deaths, suicide prevention experts, and behavioral health experts to develop a standardized Suicide Investigation Form and data collection tool for suicide death investigations. We received feedback and worked to improve the flow and formatting of this form to make it a more usable tool to gather information. If you have ideas for improvement or catch any typos we missed please let us know. 

The OSP and Child Fatality Prevention System (CFPS) are pleased to announce the availability of funding specifically for Colorado Coroners and Medical Examiners to help us better understand and prevent suicide deaths. Based on feedback received over the past year, we’ve updated the Suicide Investigation Form to improve flow and formatting to make it a more usable tool to gather information to help inform prevention efforts.  
Coroner agencies and medical examiners offices can apply for up to $5,000.00 (urban county) or up to $2,500.00 (rural county) to be used towards costs incurred in the completion of the activities outlined in the application. Awards will be made on a first come, first served basis until funding runs out. To learn more about the goals of the grant and apply, click here.
Colorado Suicide Prevention Commission

The Colorado Suicide Prevention Commission will have its first meeting of 2022 on January 28th at 9AM. We will be joined by Lina Vanegas, MSW, who is a transracial, displaced adoptee. In her work, Ms. Vanegas speaks to the lived experiences of transracial, displaced adoptees, and she is both an adoptee rights advocate and a mental health and suicide prevention advocate. She is also the co-creator and co-host of the Podcast, Rescripting the Narrative, about adoptee experience. For information on how to join the meeting, as well as for the Commission’s full 2022 schedule, please click here.

The Commission would also like to welcome its newest commissioner, Ersin Sulukioglu, to the Commission as the new Licensed Mental Health Professional representative! Mr. Sulukioglu is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Aurora Mental Health and at the Community College of Aurora. We are excited to add his voice to our work!
Older Adults Workgroup

The Office of Suicide Prevention has recently created an older adults workgroup, focusing on suicide prevention for adults, ages 65+. Our next meeting will take place on Wednesday February 2, 2022 from 9:00-10:00 am. For more information, please reach out to Dymond.Ruybal@state.co.us. 
Youth-Specific Initiatives Workgroup

The Youth-Specific Initiatives (YSI) Workgroup continues to meet the third Thursday of every other month. Our next meeting will take place on Thursday, February 17, 2022 from 3:30-5pm. For more information, please reach out to Lena.Heilmann@state.co.us
New Postvention Workgroup!

In October 2021, the Suicide Prevention Commission voted to begin convening a Postvention Workgroup in 2022. The first Postvention Workgroup meeting will be held Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 from 2-3:30pm. Please sign up here to learn more about this workgroup and to join the contact list. Please reach out to Lena.Heilmann@state.co.us with any questions.
Zero Suicide Colorado Learning Collaborative

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 January 27th, 2022 at 10 am MST. To be contacted for the next collaborative, please email the OSP Zero Suicide Coordinator, Conlin.Bass@state.co.us.
Zero Suicide Academy

Save the date! The next Colorado Zero Suicide Academy, tentatively scheduled for April 20th and 21st from 8am-4pm. Registration will open early to mid-February - stay tuned!
Trainings
Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS): In light of COVID-19, the OSP has moved all CAMS trainings to a virtual platform. We have trainings available The following dates:
 

If you are a Colorado clinician or behavioral health provider and are interested in participating, use the application links above sign up to receive more information regarding future trainings here.

*Please note that space is extremely limited and submitting an application does not guarantee your space in the training. All applications will be reviewed for eligibility prior to acceptance.

Are you already CAMS trained? Use your skills to help reduce suicide in Colorado! CAMS trained providers now have the option of registering on the CAMS Clinician Locator, which will route new clients to your practice, particularly those looking for competent clinicians, trained in evidence-based suicide-specific treatments. Please consider signing up to help your community find you.

Please visit the Office of Suicide Prevention’s Training webpage for more information on CAMS, LivingWorks Start, and much more!
RESOURCES - Hot off the Press!
*Disclaimer: The following resources and events do not necessarily reflect the Office of Suicide Prevention’s views or opinions.
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!
In the News


Littleton schools study could help in fight against youth suicide” from the Highlands Ranch Herald. “For young people, schools are one key organization. But families are important, youth-serving organizations are important, health-care settings are important. So, we really want everyone to be involved in supporting youth suicide prevention, because we all have to be.”
Youth and Young Adults

Treating Suicidal College Students Using Telepsychology, a free one-hour recorded webinar with Dr. Melinda Moore, Associate Professor of Psychology, Eastern Kentucky University. 

ACEs, Overdose, and Suicide. A new resource from APHA.
Older Adults



Patching the Safety Net: Survivor’s Benefits for LGBTQ Older Adults: This free webcast covers information about actionable strategies that advocates can use to reach and support LGBTQ older adults as they navigate the process of seeking these benefits after a lifetime of discrimination. Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 11:00-12:00 MT
Veterans

The latest HealthWatch report from the Colorado Violent Death Reporting System (CoVDRS) Veteran Suicide in Colorado, Colorado Violent Death Reporting System, 2015-2019 is now available! This report, and others, can be found on the CoVDRS website.
Lethal Means Safety

Gun Safety and Suicide Prevention, Raymond Tucker, Assistant Professor of Psychology

Cross-Pollinated Resources

Upcoming 3-Part Learning Community - Supportive Housing Models That Work: A three-part series focusing on supportive housing models that work for individuals with serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbances, substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders. Dates: February 24th, March 23rd, and April 27th.
Colorado Employment Opportunities

Work with the Colorado Gun Shop Project! Both Speak Up Reach Out (covering Eagle and Garfield Counties) and the Public Health Institute at Denver Health are hiring Firearm Advocate positions! 
 
The evaluation team at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado Boulder is hiring a Firearm Community Research Assistant to help with evaluating the Gun Shop Project. 

The Second Wind Fund is hiring for a Western Slope Community Manager to serve as a community liaison and local representative for SWF. The WSCM will be the regional primary lead on communications with program providers, school mental health staff, community mental health agencies, referral sources, and local community groups (Rotary, Kiwanis, Churches, Optimists, etc.). For more info and to apply, click here.
UPCOMING EVENTS!
Developing School Protocols: Support After a Suicide Loss. Every week. On Fridays 9:00 am - 10:30 am MT. Starting January 21, 2022 - January 28, 2022

Suicidal Awareness, Response, Safety Planning, and Postvention Learning Series. 1:00pm - January 25, 2022 - February 8, 2022. 1:00 - 2:00 pm MT. From Mountain Plains MHTTC
Active Minds National Conference 2022. Turn it Up: Amplifying Mental Health in Our Culture. Focused On Young Adults And Mental Health. February 10, 2022. Virtual. Registration: $35

Douglas County Community Night: Youth Marijuana and Suicide Prevention Public Seminar. Tuesday, February 15, 2022, 6:00 to 7:30 pm MT
Addressing Adult Suicidal Ideation in the Primary Care Setting. Thursday, February 24, 2022 11:00 am – 12:00 pm MT.
Helping Teens Thrive...Together: A virtual event designed for teens and their trusted adults to connect and learn together! Virtual event Saturday, March 12th from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm MT
Stay in Touch!!
To sign up for the Office of Suicide Prevention monthly newsletter, click here! 
You have previously requested to stay up-to-date on program information from a past training or online submission form. If you prefer not to receive these emails, please unsubscribe below.
To improve the health, well-being and equity of all Coloradans through health promotion, prevention and access to health care.