Healthcare systems, including behavioral health, hospitals and urgent care, primary care and specialty care health centers are encouraged to apply by June 30th, 2025 for a Zero Suicide Academy® in Jefferson City, MO, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Mental Health and the Missouri Behavioral Health Council.
About the Academy
Dates
Academy Part 1: Introducing Zero Suicide (2 hours- Virtual)
Tuesday, July 29th, 2025 from 9:00am-11:00am CT
Academy Part 2: Implementing Zero Suicide (2 days- In-Person)
Tuesday, August 5th, 2025 from 8:30am-3:30pm CT
Wednesday, August 6th, 2025 from 8:30am-3:30pm CT
Academy Part 3: Sustaining Zero Suicide (2 hours- Virtual)
Friday, September 19th, 2025 from 9:00am-11:00am CT
Description
The Zero Suicide Academy® is EDC’s signature learning series for health and behavioral health organizations seeking to dramatically reduce suicides among those in their care. Led by EDC’s expert Zero Suicide staff and faculty at your location, the Zero Suicide Academy provides up to 16 teams from health and behavioral health organizations with an invaluable opportunity to kick off or reinvigorate their Zero Suicide implementation, learn about the Zero Suicide framework and seven elements, begin strategic implementation planning, and prepare for commonly faced challenges. Teams will also have an opportunity to network with similar organizations and establish relationships with each other and our team for ongoing assistance.
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 of suicide. The event includes both interactive presentations and small group sessions. There is time for our staff and faculty to collaborate with teams to develop organization-specific action plans.
The Missouri Behavioral Health Council (MBHC) has approved this program for 18.6 behavioral health continuing education contacts hours. MBHC will be responsible for this program and maintain a record of your continuing education hours earned.
Location
Governor's Office Building, 200 Madison Street, Room 450, Jefferson City, Missouri
Eligibility
Missouri healthcare organizations interested in adopting Zero Suicide framework, as well as any current implementing organizations who need to onboard new team members may apply.
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 and sustain their effort.
- Create opportunities for participating teams to share knowledge, perspectives, and implementation stories to inform, encourage and support Zero Suicide initiatives.
- Engage participating teams in activities and discussions to aid in enhancing staff readiness and short-term implementation plans to support the Zero Suicide initiatives in their organization.
How To Apply
- Participant Eligibility
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All health and behavioral health systems are eligible to apply.
Applicants are to attend the Zero Suicide Academy® with a team of 3-4 individuals (including the team lead).
Recommendations for the team composition include:
Person(s) responsible and with authority for implementation decsions (e.g. Medical Doctor, CIO, ED, BH Director, or IT)
- At least one leader/management (irrespective of 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, doctor, psychologist, social worker, nurse, other) who provides care to patients daily.
- 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.
- Application Instructions
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All organizations wishing to be considered for the Zero Suicide Academy will submit the application by clicking 'apply' by June 30th, 2025, 6 p.m. ET.
Please submit one application per team. Individual team members do not have to apply separately. The application should be under the team lead and list all team members.
Application submission should include the following:
1. 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. You can review a template with suggested language here.
2. When completing the application, you will be asked to provide:
- Contact information for your team members
- A brief description of your team's relevant skills, knowledge, and experience.
- Your team's goals for participating in the Zero Suicide Academy
Dr. Andrews is the Chief Clinical Officer at Behavioral Health Response and a ZeroSuicide Academy Faculty member.
Shelby Kuhn delivers training and consultation to improve care and outcomes for individuals at risk for suicide using a continuous quality improvement framework.
Amy Molloy, senior project associate, is a behavioral health expert with 14 years of leadership experience in suicide prevention, mental health promotion, veterans’ services, and education.
Learn more