Suicide has become the second leading cause of death among children greater than 10 years of age, and continues to remain a leading cause of death throughout most of our lifetime. Suicide rates in youth have only continued to climb over the last decade, therefore prevention measures are crucial. To address this epidemic, Connecticut Children’s recently established a comprehensive Youth Suicide Prevention Center to reduce the occurrence of youth suicide deaths and those youth suffering with suicidal thoughts through identification, education/training, research, and advocacy. Aiming to implement validated and evidence-based programs to create safer and healthier communities. Suicide is preventable, and implementation of suicide prevention efforts including universal screening may save lives of youth in crisis.

During this workshop we will provide you with the basic knowledge and background you need to understand suicide specifically in your state or region. We will review and highlight reliable suicide prevention resources including the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, CDC, NIMH/NIH and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Additionally, discuss suicide screening measures which can be implemented within your community.

You will learn how to build an evidence-based foundation for suicide prevention. There are many interventions and proven prevention strategies that can be easily adopted by you, your injury prevention center and your institution including the following, which we will highlight during this workshop:

Outline:
1. Youth Risk Behavior Survey and WISQARS
2. Suicide Screening Workflows – Emergency Department and Inpatient
   a. Ask Suicide Screening Questions (ASQ)
   b. Columbia- Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
3. Lethal Means Restriction Counseling
4. Zero Suicide Programs
5. Staff education opportunities
   a. Annual suicide prevention trainings
   b. Question Persuade Refer Training (QPR)
6. Funding Opportunities

1. Appreciate the growing epidemic of youth suicide and need for prevention programs
2. Identify reliable sources of information about suicide and prevention programs
3. Develop a familiarity with some of the basic prevention strategies and explore how they can be implemented
4. Recognize potential funding sources for your suicide prevention work