About the Academy

Pre-Academy Event

Thursday, April 14, 11 a.m. MST

Eligibility

Only Colorado health systems (mental, physical, behavioral) are eligible. Applicants are to come with a team of 4 individuals, including the person identified as the lead for the system's Zero Suicide initiative. All organizations wishing to be considered for the Zero Suicide Academy will submit the application by the due date. Although applications will be reviewed as they come in, with some priority to first-come, first-serve; priority will also be given to teams or systems that have not attended a Zero Suicide Academy previously. Substance use and related treatment centers’ participation will also be prioritized.

Description

The Zero Suicide Academy is a two-day training for senior leaders of health and behavioral health care organizations that seek to dramatically reduce suicides among patients in their care. Using the Zero Suicide framework, participants learn how to incorporate best and promising practices into their organizations and processes to improve care and safety for individuals at risk. Zero Suicide faculty provide both interactive presentations and small group sessions, collaborating with participants to develop organization-specific action plans.

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Objectives

The objectives of the Zero Suicide Academy are to:

• Provide organizations interested in adopting a Zero Suicide approach with the skills and information necessary to launch their effort;
• Create collaborative links between the organizations launching these initiatives in order to provide mentorship and support so that the perspectives, knowledge, and skills of each inform the work of the others; and
• Aid in developing implementation plans for the Zero Suicide initiatives at each participating organization.

The Zero Suicide Academy is presented by Zero Suicide Institute, a project of Education Development Center.

About Zero Suicide

Colorado has recognized the benefits of the Zero Suicide Framework and in 2016, the Colorado General Assembly passed Senate Bill 147, which encourages all health settings to implement this framework. The Colorado Suicide Prevention Commission has identified Zero Suicide as a priority for regional crisis system organizations, community mental health centers, as well as community health centers, integrated care facilities, substance use treatment facilities, and large hospital systems. The Zero Suicide initiative is but one element of a comprehensive community-based approach to suicide prevention in Colorado.

Zero Suicide Framework

The Zero Suicide framework aims to improve care and outcomes for individuals at risk of suicide seen in health care systems. To assist health and behavioral health care organizations in developing and implementing a Zero Suicide approach, https://zerosuicide.edc.org/toolkit offers an evolving online Toolkit.

Zero Suicide is a comprehensive approach, which includes the following elements:

1.    Lead system-wide culture change committed to reducing suicides
2.    Train a competent, confident, and caring workforce
3.    Identify individuals with suicide risk via comprehensive screening and assessment
4.    Engage all individuals at-risk of suicide using a suicide care management plan
5.    Treat suicidal thoughts and behaviors using evidence-based treatments
6.    Transition individuals through care with warm hand-offs and supportive contacts
7.    Improve policies and procedures through continuous quality improvement

Selection Criteria

All organizations wishing to be considered for the Zero Suicide Academy will submit the application by the due date. Although applications will be reviewed as they come in, with some priority to first-come, first-serve; priority will also be given to teams or systems that have NOT attended a Zero Suicide Academy previously. Applicants will be notified of their Academy acceptance no later than March 31, 2022.

How to Apply

Participant Eligibility

Only Colorado health systems (mental, physical, behavioral) are eligible. Applicants are to come with a team of 4 individuals, including the person identified as the lead for the system’s Zero Suicide initiative. Recommendations for team composition include:

Person(s) responsible and with authority for implementation decisions (e.g. Medical Doctor, CIO, ED, BH Director, or IT).

• At least one senior leader/management (irrespective or discipline area).
• At least one person who manages your electronic health records (EHR) system, quality improvement, or risk management.
• At least one person (e.g., case manager, psychologist, social worker, nurse, other) who provides care to patients daily.
• Teams are also strongly encouraged to include someone with direct lived experience of suicidal despair or attempt.

NOTE: Zero Suicide implementation team members should include persons who can both champion Zero Suicide with passion and those who have some power and influence in your system. This can include clinical directors, senior clinical staff with coordination over a certain area or department, information technology, risk management or quality improvement, or a person with lived experience.

All organizations wishing to be considered for the Zero Suicide Academy will submit the application by the due date.

Application Instructions

The Zero Suicide Academy application consists of:

1. The lead applicant will receive all correspondence and must be one of the team members.
2. A letter of commitment written by the organization's CEO/Senior Executive Leader. The CEO/Senior Executive Leader should review and approve the submission and agree to the strategy proposed. Leadership letters of commitment to the Zero Suicide model created for other purposes are acceptable so long as they are dated within the prior 6 months.
3. A narrative that, in two to four pages, responds to the following: 
   • Briefly describe the members of your team and the relevant skills, knowledge, and experience they bring to the Zero Suicide Academy.
   • What are your team’s goals for participating in the Zero Suicide Academy and what does the team hope to learn during the training? Describe how you would like to apply Zero Suicide in your organization. 
   • What successes and/or challenges have you had with systems-change in your organization? Consider other collaborative efforts within your team and/or other quality improvement programs in your organization.
4. A Zero Suicide Organizational Self-Study is to be completed by your implementation team members, along with your application.

Organizational Self Study

A Zero Suicide Organizational Self-Study is to be completed by your implementation team members, along with your application. We offer two versions of the Organizational Self-Study: the General Organizational Self-Study and the Inpatient Organizational Self-Study. Organizations can choose to take one or both available Self-Studies.

To access these resources, you will need to create an account on the Zero Suicide website.

Go to Organizational Self-Study