 |
Memorandum
DATE: December 5,
2005
TO: Local Health Department Injury Prevention Staff
FROM: Injury Prevention Team: Linda Hale (608) 267-7174
halelj@dhfs.state.wi.us; Susan Laflash (608) 266-7457
laflasi@dhfs.state.wi.us; Randy Glysch (608) 261-6879
glyscrl@dhfs.state.wi.us
|
|
Suicide is the
tenth most common cause of death in Wisconsin. Suicide rates are
highest among residents over 65 years of age. Each suicide death is
estimated to affect at least six other people in the family,
school, workplace or community, meaning that nearly 36,000
Wisconsin residents are affected by a loved one's suicide each
year. Suicide attempts are estimated to be about 20 times the
number of deaths. Many who make suicide attempts never seek
professional care until immediately after the attempt.
Community wide
efforts to identify those at risk of suicide and to assure that
resources are in place to provide and promote accessible
professional care are necessary to lower the suicide rate. Strong,
broad public health initiatives to increase the public's
understanding of suicide and suicidal behaviors, and the role that
individuals and groups can play in prevention are needed.
Included as
attachments to this e-mail are county level numbers on suicide
deaths and suicide-related hospitalizations and emergency
department visits. When reviewing the data for you county, think
about which groups in your communities may be interested in seeing
the numbers, and who may be an important partner in developing
local strategies to prevent future suicides and suicide attempts.
Many are surprised at, and may be motivated to action by learning
the actual numbers of suicide and suicide attempts occurring among
their neighbors. Just a few of are listed below:
- Law Enforcement may
respond to calls of suicides/attempts, but are not always involved
in all investigations.
- County Human
Services/Mental Health/Crisis Team responsible
for the county crisis response system required by each county. Also
look for a county local Mental Health Association or NAMI (National
Association of Mental Illness) chapter.
- School Systems or CESA
(Cooperative Educational Service Agency, responsible for student
mental health/suicide prevention curriculum development, and who
may not be aware of county-wide trends.
- Community Groups such as
businesses, Civic, parent, youth, faith-based, aging coalitions,
grief counselors, support for persons with disabilities have access
to some of the highest risk populations.
- Local coroners or medical
examiners are aware of all suicide deaths in a community and
may help to increase understanding of trends occurring within
certain populations or in causation.
- EMS services,
Emergency Department Staff respond and care for those
who attempt or commit suicide, and have first hand knowledge of the
frequency within a community as well as a commitment to
prevention.
- Primary care providers can be
encouraged to include questions in their routine health care of
high risk populations.
On the following
pages you will find websites for information on suicide prevention
and risks. You will also find an announcement related to
development of a Blue Cross/Blue Shield grant application for local
funding targeted at reducing rates of suicide in
Wisconsin.
Suicide-Related Websites
American Association of Suicidology
http://www.suicidology.org
American Foundation of Suicide Prevention
http://www.afsp.org
HOPES (Helping Others Prevent & Educate about
Suicide) http://www.hopes-wi.org
SPAN (Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network)
http://www.spanusa.org
Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
http://www.yellowribbon.org
National Organization of People of Color Against
Suicide http://www.nopcas.com/
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
www.sprc.org
Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Strategy
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/health/injuryprevention/SuicidePrevention.htm
WISH (Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health) http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/wish/
Local
Suicide Prevention Funding Announcement
A grant proposal
to develop infrastructure and capacity at the state, regional and
local level to enhance suicide prevention efforts is being
developed to submit to the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program
monies (BCBS) at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The State Injury Prevention Program is collaborating with the
Mental Health Association in Milwaukee County, the Suicide
Prevention Initiative (a statewide group working on suicide
prevention in Wisconsin), the regional offices (public health and
human services area administrators), and the Crisis Network (a
group of crisis teams/personnel from a majority of the counties in
Wisconsin) to develop the grant proposal, due the middle of
December. The funds from the grant would support regional and local
structures to better support dissemination of evidence-based
programs, practices, resources, training, and education, and a
stronger coordination of activities at the state level to reverse
the trend of suicide in Wisconsin.
If you are interested in participating in the grant application
process, or providing needs assessment or model program
information, contact your regional office director as soon as
possible.
|
|
| |
If you have
questions, please feel free to contact Linda Hale (608) 267-7174
halelj@dhfs.state.wi.us.
Thank you. |
|
|
|