Edition 47 |April 2022

Welcome to the April 2022 Office of Suicide Prevention newsletter!

Andrea Philleo

Andrea is the Founder and Executive Director of the Colorado Wellness Center for Girls (CWCG), which is a comprehensive, wellness-based, full day program for girls(ages 12-21) who are struggling with depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidal ideation and the everyday challenges of adolescence. CWCG is built on six domains of wellness - nutritional, physical, relational, psychological, emotional and educational. Students enroll from all over Colorado and attend from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, Monday – Friday for an average of four months. While at CWCG, they engage in online school (we have an on-site tutor), physical fitness, mindfulness, nutrition (we have an onsite registered dietician who cooks healthy meals and provides education), therapy (both individual and family with licensed therapists) as well as afternoon activities (art, field trips, skill building groups, etc.) Parents are also involved in a weekly parent coaching group. Andrea is a rock star as she has spent the last seven plus years investing her time, energy and money into CWCG without taking any kind of salary in return. Andrea's sole desire is to help girls who are struggling by providing a place of respite where girls can get relief, re-group and restore.  You rock, Andrea!

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.

The Office of Suicide Prevention Expands Colorado-National Collaborative (CNC)

After releasing a funding application for the CNC grant earlier this year, the Office of Suicide Prevention is pleased to announce that we have added two new organizations to the project. Jefferson Center for Mental Health serving Jefferson, Clear Creek, and Gilpin Counties and the Tri-County Health Network serving San Miguel, Ouray, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, and Delta counties have been selected from a competitive group of applicants to join the CNC team starting in Fall 2022. Congratulations and thank you for your commitment to suicide prevention in Colorado!

San Juan Basin Public Health Co-Hosts Forums on Community Resilience and Well-Being in the Face of Environmental and Public Health Crises: In the face of challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and other environmental and public health crises, this community forums generated discussion on adaptive strategies

to prepare for future impacts and build resilience in the community. 

Commission

The Colorado Suicide Prevention Commission has its second quarterly meeting on April 29th, featuring a talk by Lukas Soto titled “Using Self-Empowerment as a Protective Factor for Healing.” A full recording of the meeting, additional resources referenced in the meeting, and information on how to join the meeting can be found at the Commission’s public folder, here.

The Commission would also like to welcome its newest commissioner, Jennifer Daniels, joining the Commission as the new Oil & Gas Industry, Rural Area representative! Mrs. Daniels is the co-owner of the DLD Pipe and Recovery Services and the Suicide Prevention Coordinator at Mesa County Valley School District 51. We are excited for Mrs. Daniels to join us in our work!

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, April 28, 2022 from 10-11 am. To be contacted for the next collaborative, please email the OSP Zero Suicide Coordinator, Conlin at: Conlin.Bass@state.co.us.

Training

Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)

The OSP is pleased to announce that we will be hosting  our next free, virtual CAMS trainings for Colorado providers on Thursday, May 19, 2022 and Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Please feel free to apply yourself, or share the below application links with your partners. 

 (select ONLY ONE of the below dates)

1. Thursday,  May 19, 2022

Deadline: Friday May 5th, 2022

2.  Tuesday June 7, 2022 

Deadline: Monday, June 23rd, 2022

*Please note that space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Submitting an application does not guarantee your space. OSP staff will reach out to applicants to confirm registration. 

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

General

El Paso county, Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention and Cass Walton highlighted for their local nonprofit work addressing suicide through education, intervention and postvention.



Understanding and Supporting the Mental Health Needs of the Agriculture Community featuring Centennial Mental Health. 

Equity

Pronouns and Why They Matter a podcast discussing the learning curve when it comes to using new pronouns for non-binary individuals featuring Silen Wellington. 

Rural Suicide Prevention Toolkit: Postvention Implementation Considerations

OpEd: Withholding gender-affirming care from children violates the Hippocratic Oath.

It leads some to endure profound mental anguish and even attempt suicide. 

Use Person-First Language to Reduce Stigma

Youth and Young Adults

At Risk: Student Surveys and Youth Health. A blog post discussing the importance of student health surveys such as the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS). 



Check out our new OSP brochures to support suicide prevention for youth, for LGBTQ+ youth, and for trusted adults on our OSP youth and young adult suicide prevention webpage, available in English and in Spanish! (Under: “Free Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources”)

Partners for Children’s Mental Health launched a quarterly newsletter focused on youth suicide prevention in primary care. Sign up to stay updated on the latest research, news, and training opportunities. 

• Help bring high-quality mental health care to your community. PCMH is looking for Colorado organizations interested in innovative behavioral health tools and practices to serve as hosts for a PracticeWise Managing and Adapting Practices (MAP) training in their region. Find out more. 

The GIV Fellowship places young adults (18-24) across Colorado in an internship with grant-making foundations. The program is designed for individuals from underrepresented communities in the philanthropic sector to 1) gain experience in the field, and 2) provide community & youth insight into foundation operations. Participants will be paid $17/hour for 8 hours per week (2 hours with cohort, 6 hours with foundations) for 15 weeks in Fall 2022 (8/22-12/2). Applications are due May 19, 2022. Learn more and apply online here. 

Older Adults

The National Council on Aging is proud to host the 5th annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium on May 16th, 2022. This event is co-sponsored with the U.S. Administration for Community Living, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Registration is free and includes a full day of sessions on how to best meet the mental health needs of older adults. 

Veterans

Women Veterans' Perspectives on Suicide Prevention in Reproductive Health Care Settings: An Acceptable, Desired, Unmet Opportunity. A recent publication in the National Library of Medicine, Women's Health Issues, suggesting that VA RHC settings may present a viable milieu for implementing upstream, gender-sensitive, veteran-centric suicide prevention strategies.

Lethal Means Safety

Firearm Retailers and Law Enforcement Show Support for Providing Safe Gun Storage Options. Experts in academics take the next step to studying the feasibility of expanding out-of-home firearm storage options.

Special Brief: In response to the increase in fentanyl-involved overdoses in Colorado, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition and the Harm Reduction Action Center have co-authored a brief outlining evidence-based strategies to address this public health emergency.

The Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention coordinates Colorado’s response to the crisis of misuse and abuse of prescription medications such as opioids, stimulants, and sedatives. The Consortium offers a variety of educational presentations and tools for community groups and clinical audiences including Community Training, Provider Training, or Work Groups. 

The Asian American Experience: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going? By Ron Lee. This training session will provide a brief history of the Asian American experience; highlighting how the country’s treatment of Asian Americans has made an impact on their psyche and their mental health. Monday, May 2, 2022 from 2:00- 3:15 pm MT

PCMH is hosting free Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) trainings in May 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):

• Tuesday, May 10, 9:00am-10:30 am
• Friday, May 27, 9:00am-10:30am

Postpartum Depression and Maternal Mental Health: How Caregivers Can Help. Free webinar from Families for Depression Awareness Tuesday, May 10, 2022, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM MT

Bridging the Divide Suicide Awareness and Prevention Summit May 12-May 139:00-4:00 

2022 Virtual IHE Summer Safety Symposium Thursday June 2, 2022, 8:00 am - 3:45 pm MT. This FREE virtual symposium brings together campus safety professionals; including administrators, mental health staff, law enforcement, security, emergency management, prevention and advocacy specialists, Title IX Coordinators, facilities, and IT professionals responsible for protecting campuses.