Kim Walton is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with over 30 years of experience in health and behavioral health nursing. She has served as Chief Operations and Chief Clinical Officer in Behavioral Health and Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive for Ambulatory Care in a large integrated health care system. Walton was also responsible for the implementation of Zero Suicide and the Project Director for the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention grant at the same health care system.

Walton has extensive experience implementing the Zero Suicide model both as a health care leader and as Faculty of the Zero Suicide Institute. As a Lead Trainer for Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR), Walton conducts Training of Trainers in all AMSR curricula. Of particular interest for Walton is the intersection of suicide prevention, trauma-informed care, and substance use, focusing on opportunities for suicide safer care for high-risk individuals. She also brings extensive clinical experience with youth and families in trauma-informed care and crisis intervention.

Walton has spent much of 2020 and 2021 virtually supporting health and behavioral health care organizations to provide safer suicide care during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Her focus has been on implementing and supporting safer suicide best practices during this time of unprecedented need for improved mental health and suicide prevention in health care. She has utilized the Zero Suicide model and encouraged organizations to embrace system transformation and an understanding of safer suicide care as a primary responsibility for all working in healthcare.