September Conference Will Bring Together Clinicians,
Advocates and Policy Makers from Across New York
The
New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) will be holding its fourth
annual New York State Suicide Prevention Conference: “STRONGER
TOGETHER: Embracing Diversity and State/Local Partnerships in Suicide
Prevention” on September 18 and 19 at the Desmond Hotel and
Conference Center in Albany.
The
two-day conference will focus on best practices in the field of suicide
prevention and will feature presentations highlighting recent
developments in suicide prevention, including working with diverse
minority populations, community coalitions, schools and college
campuses, health systems, and advancements in surveillance data.
OMH
Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “This year’s Suicide Prevention
Conference will feature many notable speakers and will focus on suicide
prevention efforts among our most vulnerable populations, including
veterans, African American and Latina youth, residents of rural areas
and members of the LGBTQ community. Our annual conference helps diverse
groups forge relationships and coordinate efforts, which are critical
components to effective suicide prevention.”
Experts
will moderate 30 break-out sessions on a wide variety of topics
including: Examining Factors Related to Suicide Risk Among Racial
and Ethnic Minorities; The Intersection of Substance Abuse and Suicide;
Creating Suicide-Safer Schools; The Relationship Between Child Sexual
Abuse, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicide in Youth; Engaging Veterans and
their Families in Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment;
Integrating Suicide Prevention into Clinical Settings in Rural Areas of
New York State; Preventing Suicide Among LGBTQ and Minority LGBTQ
Communities; and Suicide Prevention Training for Behavioral Health Care
Providers.
Advocates Recognized for Their Extraordinary Efforts
During
the Conference, OMH and its Suicide Prevention Office will recognize
the extraordinary achievements and efforts of four suicide prevention
champions from across New York State.
Awards
will be presented for: Creating and Strengthening Suicide Safer Schools
in New York; Creating and Strengthening Suicide Safer Communities;
Journey of Healing: Advocacy Work by a Suicide Attempt Survivor or Loss
Survivor; and The Frederick Meservey Life and Leadership Award (named
for the founding Director of the Suicide Prevention Center of New York,
bestowed on a New Yorker who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership
in the field of suicide prevention.
Conference Builds on Suicide Prevention Task Force Recommendations
OMH
has been the lead agency for Governor Cuomo’s Suicide Prevention Task
Force, which includes leaders from state agencies, local governments,
not-for-profit groups, and other recognized experts in suicide
prevention. The Task Force recently released its first report, which
focuses on bridging gaps in current state suicide prevention efforts,
and on building coalitions and supporting the efforts of local
governments and advocates.
Established
by the Governor in November 2017, the Task Force serves to increase
awareness of and access to supportive services with a special focus on
high-risk groups including veterans, Latina adolescents, and members of
the LGBTQ community. Recommendations from the report include
strengthening public health prevention efforts, integrating suicide
prevention in healthcare, timely sharing of data for surveillance and
planning, and infusing cultural competence throughout suicide prevention
activities.
OMH Supporting Local Governments’ Prevention Efforts
In
order to support local governments and help build suicide prevention
coalitions across the State, OMH in partnership with the NYS Health
Foundation recently awarded more than $630,000 to support four counties
greatly impacted by suicide: Erie, Onondaga, Suffolk, and Westchester.
The purpose of the grant – “Learning from Loss: Using Suicide Fatality
Reviews for Effective Prevention Activities” – is twofold: first, to
ensure accurate and complete data collection by coroner/medical examiner
office investigations of suicide deaths; and second, to conduct
in-depth community reviews of suicide deaths, looking for systemic
patterns.
The
innovative model being piloted in New York is based on a program
successfully implemented in Washington County, Oregon, where a
multidisciplinary team with representatives from the medical examiner’s
office, healthcare providers, law enforcement, crisis workers, clergy,
and other community partners share information during in-depth reviews
of suicides after obtaining permission from next of kin.
Looking
for patterns, the Oregon review team discovered that several
individuals had dropped off their pets at animal shelters just before
killing themselves. Armed with that data, they moved quickly to train
animal shelter staff; many have already intervened in several instances.
At a time when the nation’s suicide rate keeps rising, Washington
county, Oregon, has seen the number of suicides drop over each of the
last three years.
Source: The
New York State Office of Mental Health
