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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.

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 Conlin.Bass@state.co.us to learn more and get involved.

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

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

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 to see how far you’ve come and gather 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:

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 Work Plan Template to start setting goals and mapping out the progress of the initiative.

 

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 2024 Zero Suicide Learning Collaborative Meeting speakers

We currently have openings for speakers for the July 2024 through December 2024 meetings. 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.

Speaker interest form

 

MonthTopicMeeting RecordingSlides and Resources Shared
January 2024

Suicide, gender, and implications for healthcare

Recording

Presenter Slides (PDF)

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)

February 2024

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: A Timeline of Events and Policy and Implications for Suicide Prevention

RecordingPresenter Slides (PDF)
March 2024

Suicidality Among High-Risk Youth presented by Fully Liberated Youth (F.L.Y)

Recording

Presenter Slides (PDF)

Presenter Training (PDF)

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)

April 2024

Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale with Dr. Kelly Posner

RecordingPresenter Slides (PDF)
May 2024

Lived Experience and Research on Suicide & Adoptees with Lina Vanegas

Recording 
June 2024

Effective Organizational Postvention Response for Mental Health Professionals

RecordingPresenter slides (PDF)
July 2024

Suicide x Spirituality: Tending to the Soul w/ Jamari White

RecordingOffice of Suicide Prevention Slides (Google)
August 2024Partners for Children’s Mental Health: Suicide Care Pathways, Screening Tools, and Safety Planning for YouthRecording

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (Google Slides)

Presenter Slides (PDF)
Safety Plan template (PDF)
BSSA Patient & Parent (PDF)

September 2024Breaking Boundaries in Suicidality Assessment and Intervention with Alyssa Wright, LCSW, EMDR, Level 1 IFS TrainedRecording

Office of Siucide Prevention Slides (Google)

Presenter Slides (Google Slides)

October 2024Maternal Suicide Prevention in ColoradoRecordingPresenter Slides (PDF)

 

MonthTopicMeeting RecordingSlides and Resources Shared
January 2023

Trauma-Informed Care and ZS Implementation

Recording

 

February 2023

Change Management and ZS Implementation

RecordingSaint Mary's Hospital Slides (PDF)

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)
March 2023

Health System-Level Improvements for Healthcare Worker Wellbeing

Recording

MHTTC Slide Deck (PDF)

OSP Slide Deck (PDF)

April 2023Meeting the Mental Health Needs of the Agricultural CommunityRecording

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)

Colorado Farm Bureau Slides (PDF)

May 2023

Eating Disorders and Suicidality

Recording

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)

Presenter Slides (PDF)

June 2023

Valley Settlement's Alma Program: Considerations for Maternal Mental Health and Peer Support Programs

Recording

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)

Presenter Slides (PDF)

July 2023

Providing Care for Patients Experiencing Chronic Pain, Substance Use, and Suicidality

RecordingOffice of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)
August 2023

Disability, Ableism, and Suicidality in Disabled and Chronically Ill Communities

RecordingOffice of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)
September 2023

Self-Assessment for Modification of Anti-Racism Tool (SMART)

RecordingPresenter Slides (PDF)

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)
October 2023

ZS Colorado Updates, RFA Release, and Needs Assessment

RecordingOffice of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)
November 2023

Updates to COMPACT Act and Rocky Mountain Crisis Partner's Follow-Up Project

Recording

Presenter Slides (PDF)

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)

December 2023

Peer Support and Alternatives to Suicide from the Yarrow Collective

Recording

Presenter Slides (PDF)

Presenter Resources (PDF)

Office of Suicide Prevention Slides (PDF)

MonthTopicMeeting RecordingSlides and Resources Shared
January 2022

These are not normal times; how to be well anyway

Recording

Resilient Colorado Slides — Mental Health & Wellness During a Pandemic

February 2022PostventionRecording

NORC at University of Chicago's Postvention Slides

OSP's slides

March 2022National Hispanic and Latino Prevention Technology Transfer
Center
Recording

National Hispanic and Latino
Prevention Technology Transfer
Center slides

PTTC Suicide Prevention Resources

Learning Collaborative Slides

April 2022Lessons Learned in ZS Implementation from Centura HealthRecording

Learning Collaborative Slides

May 2022Zero Suicide Implementation at UC HealthRecording

Zero Suicide Presentation UCHealth 2022

5-25-22 OSP Learning Collaborative Slides

June 2022Authentic Community Engagement to Build Rapport with Immigrant and Refugee Communities, and Connecting Systems of CareRecording
July 2022Using the Zero Suicide Toolkit at the Colorado Coalition for the HomelessRecording
August 2022Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)Recording
September 2022Zero Suicide Learning Collaborative:
Suicide prevention in the Construction Industry
Recording
October 2022Affirming and Culturally Responsive Care for LGBTQ+ patients, from Envision : YouRecording
November 2022Culturally Responsive ZS ImplementationRecording
December 2022Professional Well-Being: How to Transform “Self-Care” InitiativesRecording

 

 

 

 

 

 Month Topic Meeting Recording Slides and Resources Shared
February 25 Incorporating and Elevating the Voice of Lived Experience

Recording

 

Slides and Resources

 

March 25

Main session: Brief Interventions to Prevent Suicide Dr. Craig Bryan, 

Breakout: Zero Suicide 101
 

Main Session Recording 

 


Breakout session Recording

Main Presentation Slides

 

Breakout Slides

April 22 Data Use Agreements with Kirk Bol Recording

Slides

 

Example Agreements

May 27

Main Session: Innovations from the Field Recording   
June 24 LGBTQ+ Provider Training, Steven Haden and Donaven Smith from Envision:You Recording
July 22 Learning Collaborative Needs Recording
August 26 Empowering Lived Experience- Jess Stohlmann-Rainey Recording

 

Additional Resources

 

 

September 23 Lethal Means Safety, Emmy Betz Recording
October 28 Suicide Care Pathway Development, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Spotlight Recording

Main Presentation Slides:

OSP Slides:

Past Presentation Slides:

November 15 Providing Culturally Competent Care for Veterans Recording

Main Presentation Slides

OSP Slides

December 21 Getting Creative with ZS Implementation Recording

JCMH Slides

Summitstone Slides

OSP Slides

12-17-20_ Planning for ZS-CO in 2021

12.17.20 ZSLC AVR

 

11-19-20 Screening in the Suicide Care Pathway

11.19.20 ZSLC Recording

 

10-22-20_ Systems-Centered Language and LC Pathway Project

10.22.20 ZSLC Recording

 

9-24-20_ Caregivers, Moral Injury, and Suicide

9.24.20 ZSLC Recording

 

8-27-20_ Older Adults and Zero Suicide

8.27.20 ZSLC Recording

 

7-23-2020_ Service Members, Veterans, _ Military Families

7.23.20 ZSLC Recording

 

6-25-2020_ LGBTQ+ Challenges and Resources

6.25.20 ZS-CO Learning Collaborative Recording

 

5-28-2020_ Learning from Lived Experience of Receiving Care

May 28, 2020 ZS Learning Collaborative Audio

 

4-23-2020_ Health Equity in Suicide Prevention

GMT20200423-153851_Zero-Suici_1920x1080

 

3-26-2020_ Responding to CoVID Pandemic

 

2-27-2020_ Collaborative Safety Planning

GMT20200227-164338_Zero-Suici_1920x1080 (1)

 

01-23-2020_ Safety Assessments