What is Zero Suicide?

Zero Suicide is a transformational framework for Health and Behavioral Health Care Systems. The foundational belief of Zero Suicide is that suicide deaths for individuals under the care of health and behavioral health systems are preventable. For systems dedicated to improving patient safety, Zero Suicide presents an aspirational challenge and practical framework for system-wide transformation toward safer suicide care. A holistic and systemic approach to quality improvement, Zero Suicide is both a bold goal and an aspirational challenge.

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Workshop Description

This one day workshop will provide participants with information on how to implement the Zero Suicide model. The day will be organized by the seven essential elements of suicide care:

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

This model is adaptable to the community, context, and needs of the organization. During this session, organizations will hear from health and behavioral health care leaders who have adapted and implemented Zero Suicide for their systems. Teams will have time ask questions to plan their implementation. 

Teams will attend the Zero Suicide Workshop and participate in 8 monthly Community of Practice sessions to further their implementation efforts. The Community of Practice sessions starts in July 2024. 

It is strongly recommended that organizations complete an Organizational Self Study before attending the Workshop. 

Selection Criteria

Space for this workshop is limited to 20 teams. 

Open to participants in healthcare or behavioral healthcare organizations that provide services in the State of Alaska.

How to Apply

Participant Eligibility

Applicants are to attend the Zero Suicide Workshop with at least 2 core members from your implementation team. You do need to have at least one participating team member with decision-making authority. The Team Lead is responsible for getting the application and all documents submitted (each team member does not register independently; one registration is made with all team members included in it).

Recommendations for team composition include person(s) responsible for, or with authority to, make decisions for the organization, has influence on processes, and is involved in the clinical aspect of provided care. Often this includes people in positions including Case Manager, Chief Officers, Directors, etc.

• At least one senior leader/management (irrespective of discipline area). Person(s) responsible and with authority for implementation decisions (e.g., CEO, COO, Medical Doctor, CIO, ED)
• 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.
• At least one person who supervises the direct patient care.
• At least one person with lived experience.

Application Instructions

Please submit one application per team. Individual team members do not have to register separately. The application should be under the team lead and list all team members. Applications are due by June 17, 2024.

The Zero Suicide Workshop application consists of a brief narrative that responds to the following: 

• Briefly explain your organization’s experience with Zero Suicide (e.g., brand new, have done some implementation). 
• Briefly describe the members of your Zero Suicide implementation team and team and their roles.
• What are your team’s goals for participating in the Zero Suicide Workshop and what does the team hope to learn during the training?
   

Organizational Self-Study

You can complete the Organizational Self Study prior to the workshop or after the workshop.

You can create an account on the Zero Suicide website and submit the study there.

There are four versions of the Organizational Self-Study:

1. General Organizational Self- Study 
2. Inpatient Organizational Self-Study
3. Community-Based Organizations with Clinical Providers Self- Study
4. Community-Based Organizations without Clinical Providers Self- Study

There is an adaptation of the Organizational Self-Study for organizations within Indian Country. This adaptation swaps out some of the questions in the Organizational Self-Study. It can be found here.

Organizations may choose the self- study they feel is most appropriate.