{"id":118553,"date":"2020-01-24T10:12:41","date_gmt":"2020-01-24T17:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=118553"},"modified":"2020-01-29T14:21:51","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T21:21:51","slug":"uccs-hosts-first-el-paso-county-suicide-prevention-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=118553","title":{"rendered":"UCCS hosts first El Paso County Suicide Prevention Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"740\" height=\"417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Er7S_q-5Y-M?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><figcaption>A recording of the Jan. 17 El Paso County Suicide Prevention Conference hosted by UCCS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A crowd of 500 filled the Gallogly Events Center on Friday, Jan. 17 for the first El Paso County Suicide Prevention Conference with one topic in mind: reducing the number of deaths by suicide in El Paso County by 20% in the next five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colorado consistently ranks in the top 10 states with the\nhighest suicide rates, and El Paso County\u2019s suicide rate tops even state\nlevels. The national suicide rate in 2017 held steady at 14 deaths per every 100,000\nindividuals. Colorado\u2019s was 20.3. El Paso County\u2019s was 22.4. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Sarah Brummett, director of the Colorado Office\nof Suicide Prevention, no state in the country has ever succeeded in measurably\nreducing deaths by suicide. But through a community-centric approach led by the\nnew El Paso County Suicide Prevention Task Force, formalized at the conference,\nshe hopes Colorado might be the first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Benek-Stephanie-Panel.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Benek-Stephanie-Panel-300x172.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-118627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Benek-Stephanie-Panel-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Benek-Stephanie-Panel-750x429.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Director of Mental Health Services Benek Altayli and Executive Director of Health and Wellness Stephanie Hanenberg were among panelists at the conference. Photo credit: Crayton Daniel.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have a history of islands of excellence \u2013 organizations\ndoing great work, but isolated,\u201d Brummett explained. \u201cBut this is a community\nissue. It is rooted in community and the solution lies in community as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the course of the conference, 15 speakers and 10\npanelists \u2013 many of them affiliated with UCCS \u2013 shared information about\nexisting suicide prevention, intervention and postvention efforts with a goal\nof forming a communitywide public health approach to suicide prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">El Paso County joins five other counties \u2013 La Plata,\nLarimer, Mesa, Montezuma and Pueblo counties \u2013 in forming task forces to eliminate\nsiloes in suicide prevention services, coordinate existing services and deploy prevention\nstrategies for at-risk populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Brummett, \u201cThe idea of this project is, how do\nwe boost what already exists, and really take it to scale in our community?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brummett highlighted that as the El Paso County Suicide Prevention\nTask Force selects strategies to implement in the community, they will\nprioritize data-driven strategies common across all six participating counties,\nwhich can then be evaluated for their effectiveness. The intent is to create a\nsuicide prevention model so successful that it can create a blueprint for other\nstates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Crowd-Focus-SPC.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Crowd-Focus-SPC-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-118629\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Crowd-Focus-SPC-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Crowd-Focus-SPC-750x500.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>A crowd of 500 filled the Gallogly Events Center on Jan. 17. Photo credit: Crayton Daniel.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Duane France of Colorado Veterans Health and Wellness\nAgency explained, \u201cThis is not just a local effort. It is a state and federal\neffort, too\u2026But it\u2019s going to be up to us to do the work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chief of the Fountain Police Department Christopher Heberer\ndoubled down: \u201cWe\u2019re here, and we can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conference organized structured speakers around six pillars, each representing a preventative factor that can help preclude completed suicides. The pillars included connectedness with other people, economic stability, education and awareness, safe access to care, safety around lethal means such as firearms and drugs and proper postvention, which can help mitigate negative ripple effects after exposure to suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking on the importance of forming connections with those\naround you, David Galvan of Education for a Lifetime said that \u201cconnectedness\nrequires action.\u201d He encouraged participants to remind those around them that\nthey are \u201cneeded, loved and valued.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen we have that understanding that we\u2019re needed, loved\nand valued,\u201d he said, \u201cour behavior changes, and suicide becomes less of an\noption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speakers on the topic of economic stability demonstrated\nthat earning a living wage, being able to afford stable housing, having enough\nfood in the house and having access to childcare are all preventative methods\nthat can reduce attempted and completed suicide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/SPC-Intro.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/SPC-Intro-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-118630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/SPC-Intro-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/SPC-Intro-750x500.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Beth Roalstad of Homeward Pikes Peak and Joel Siebersma of the Springs Rescue Mission spoke about the preventative effect of economic stability on attempted suicide rates. Photo credit: Crayton Daniel.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Erik Wallace, associate dean of the Colorado Springs Branch\nof the University of Colorado School of Medicine, spoke on the topic of access\nto lethal means. He pointed out that access to firearms is the number one contributing\nfactor to completing a suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor every 100 people who attempt suicide by firearm, 90\nwill die. That\u2019s compared to the two people who will die for every 100 who\nattempt suicide by drug overdose,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He continued, \u201cReducing access to firearms to those who are\nat risk of attempting suicide is the most effective way to reduce the number of\npeople who complete suicide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat if the 90 people in El Paso County who completed\nsuicide did not have access to a firearm at the time of their attempted\nsuicide? It would have resulted in a 20% reduction in total suicides in El Paso\nCounty. What\u2019s our goal? To reduce suicides in El Paso County by 20% by 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we did nothing else besides reduce access to highly\nlethal means,\u201d he concluded, \u201cwe would reach our goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/OVS-SPC.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"147\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/OVS-SPC-300x147.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-118632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/OVS-SPC-300x147.jpg 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/OVS-SPC-750x367.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Panelists smile at a fellow speaker. Photo credit: Crayton Daniel.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conference concluded with a 10-person panel that included\nrepresentatives from businesses, schools, hospitals, mental health\norganizations, law enforcement, military and veteran populations, the LGBTQ+\npopulation and individuals with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The panel highlighted that suicide rates are especially high\nfor at-risk populations including veterans, service members and their families,\nthe LGBTQ population, the disabled population and first responders, and linked\nparticipants to services already being provided in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As far as next steps, the Community Health Partnership in Colorado Springs will form a work group to join efforts towards reducing suicide deaths by 20% in the county by 2024. Conference-goers will be invited to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As France said in his concluding remarks, \u201cThis\nis just the beginning of the conversation. This is simply the first step in\nwhat we hope is a game-changing, paradigm-shifting way of looking at suicide\nprevention in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>A crowd of 500 filled the Gallogly Events Center on Friday, Jan. 17 for the first El Paso County Suicide Prevention Conference with one topic in mind: reducing the number of deaths by suicide in El Paso County by 20% in the next five years. <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=118553\" title=\"UCCS hosts first El Paso County Suicide Prevention Conference\">(More)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":118632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,47,50,22],"tags":[53,86,130,64,332,60,274],"class_list":["post-118553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-education-and-public-affairs","category-health-and-wellness","category-video","tag-academic-affairs","tag-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences","tag-department-of-psychology","tag-gallogly-recreation-and-wellness-center","tag-more-news","tag-student-success","tag-uccs-aging-center"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/OVS-SPC.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1mBpJ-uQ9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=118553"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118634,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118553\/revisions\/118634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/118632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=118553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=118553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=118553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}