Zero Suicide Colorado

What is Zero Suicide?

Zero Suicide is a framework for safety and quality improvement in health care, rooted in the belief that suicide deaths among people receiving care in health systems are preventable. Established in 2012 by national experts in suicidology and public health, the framework’s name reflects an aspirational goal and bold challenge to hospitals, primary care, behavioral health providers, and public health agencies. Rising rates of suicide in Colorado and across the country demonstrate the urgent need for a more robust approach, and Zero Suicide offers a conceptual framework for health systems to implement evidence-based strategies and continuously improve performance.

Visit the Zero Suicide website to learn more about the national zero suicide model.

Visit the Zero Suicide website

Colorado’s Approach

With support from the state legislature and the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) began work on a statewide Zero Suicide strategy in 2017. Adapting the seven-element framework Zero Suicide applies to individual health systems, this approach combines targeted funding for framework implementation in pilot health systems, telephonic follow-up services for people transitioning out of hospital treatment, clinical training, and collaborative learning and community-building efforts led by the OSP.

Zero Suicide Colorado strategic framework

Encourage system leadership to formally adopt Zero Suicide
Support policy and practice change at state and local levels

Sponsor ongoing clinical training opportunities
Support general awareness training for all staff

Promote suicide screening and assessment
Embed protocols in electronic health records (EHR)

Elevate voices of lived experience to inform health system-based suicide prevention
Tailor services to meet client needs

Increase adherence to evidence-based standards of care in all settings
Expand the use of peer support and recovery services

Support care coordination efforts
Provide telephonic caring contact post-ED discharge via Colorado Follow-Up Project

Track process and outcome metrics to drive performance
Facilitate supportive monthly learning collaborative discussions

Join Zero Suicide Colorado

All Colorado health systems are welcome to join monthly learning collaborative discussions, explore training and networking opportunities, and connect with the OSP about challenges and opportunities in suicide prevention. Please email cdphe_suicideprevention@state.co.us to learn more and get involved.

Are you a hospital system participating in the Health Quality Incentive Program?

The Workplan Template was created to guide implementation efforts and satisfy HQIP requirements exclusively for hospital systems participating in the Health Quality Incentive Program (HQIP).

Workplan Template. (PDF)

Getting Started

Zero Suicide Organizational Self-Study

Looking for a place to start your implementation? Are you a year or two into your Zero Suicide implementation and interested in seeing how far you’ve come and gathering information about potential next steps?

The Organizational Self-Study will help you understand where your organization stands in providing safer suicide care across all 7 elements. It’s a great tool to use annually.

Learn more and get started:

Organizational Self-Study. (Zero Suicide website)

After seeing where your system stands, you can make a plan to transform and improve its suicide care by implementing the Zero Suicide framework! Use the Workplan Template to start setting goals and mapping out the progress of the initiative.

Workplan Template. (PDF)

Learning Collaborative Resources

The OSP hosts a monthly virtual Learning Collaborative for health systems on the fourth Thursday of each month from 10 - 11 a.m. These meetings cover a range of topics that can bolster your Zero Suicide implementation efforts, from elevating lived experience in your system to incorporating brief interventions in acute care to improve health outcomes. Come for the opportunity to learn from amazing guest speakers and experts in the field; stick around to be connected with a network of health systems all working together to improve safer suicide care for their patients.

Call for 2025 Zero Suicide Learning Collaborative Meeting speakers

We currently have openings for speakers. We are particularly interested in presentations with a focus on:

innovative strategies
best practices
equity in action
ZS framework implementation
lived experience related to zero suicide initiatives

Are you an expert in research, clinical practice, policy development, or community engagement? Those with diverse perspectives are welcome and encouraged to submit a speaker interest form for consideration.