Cheryl Holton, Program Director Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation 1900 Kenny Road Columbus, Ohio 43210 (614) 688-4480 Fax: (614) 292-1260 Holton.32@osu.edu www.ohiospf.org

Ohio’s Suicide Prevention Plan: AIM Awareness – Appropriately broaden the public’s awareness of suicide and its risk factors Goal: Increase people’s ability and willingness to seek help Goal: Increase people’s ability to recognize the need for help Goal: Establish capacity within Ohio to maintain suicide prevention and response initiatives

Ohio’s Suicide Prevention Plan: AIM Intervention: enhance services and programs, both population-based and clinical care Goal: reduce factors that increase the risk of suicide by working for mental wellness Goal: establish standard, best-practice intervention strategies Goal: establish services and service delivery systems which cover the entire continuum of health

Ohio’s Suicide Prevention Plan: AIM Methodology: Advance The Science Of Suicide Prevention Goal: Increase scientific knowledge regarding causes, effective interventions, and evidence-based programs that will work for Ohioans

Goals For Suicide Prevention Increase community awareness that suicide is a preventable public health problem Increase awareness that depression is a primary cause of suicide Change public perception about the stigma of mental illness, especially about depression and suicide Increase the ability of the public to recognize and intervene when someone they know is suicidal Save lives and increase help seeking behavior In creating this training, goals were established in order to provide structure for the program. Goals for the training include: Participants can more readily identify people-at-risk They will be able to provide an appropriate initial response to people-at-risk They will know how to get them help And will consistently assist them in getting the appropriate help that they need

Prevention Strategies General suicide and depression awareness education Screening programs Community gatekeeper trainings Crisis Centers and hotlines Peer support programs Restriction of access to lethal means Intervention after a suicide In researching suicide prevention, several strategies were recommended. General Suicide Education: These programs provide people with facts about suicide, alert them to warning signs, and provide information about how to seek help for themselves or for others. Screening Programs: Screening programs assist in identifying high-risk persons in order to provide more targeted treatment. Community gatekeeper training: Like school gatekeeper training, this training provides information and resources to community members. Crisis Centers and hotlines: These programs provide telephone support and counseling for suicidal people. Peer Support Programs: These programs are designed to assist and support people and others at high-risk of suicide or suicidal behavior. Restriction of access to lethal means: Activities designed to restrict access to handguns, drugs, and other common means of suicide. Intervention after a suicide: Crisis response helps the community effectively cope with feelings of loss that come with the suicide of a friend or relative and prevent future suicides.

Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation Vision: To provide suicide prevention organizations information and resources, raise awareness, eliminate stigma, and increase help-seeking behavior for all Ohioans.

Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation Mission: To promote suicide prevention as a public health issue and advance evidence-based awareness, intervention and methodology strategies which will support all Ohio-based suicide prevention efforts.

Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation Products and Services provided: Funding for coalition development Technical assistance for coalition development Ohio’s Youth Suicide Prevention and Risk Assessment Project – Garrett Lee Smith SAMHSA Grant Ohio Youth and Adult Speakers Bureau Ohio Suicide Prevention Website Statewide conferences and trainings Presentations to local, regional and statewide audiences

Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation Planned products and services: OSPF quarterly newsletter Clearing house for suicide prevention information in Ohio Statewide needs assessment, data collection and gap analysis Development and implementation of evaluation tools for suicide prevention programs