SPRC State Infrastructure Update

December 2019

SPRC’s recently released Recommendations for State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure (Infrastructure Recommendations) lay out essential infrastructure elements for advancing state suicide prevention efforts. Read on for updates related to these recommendations, including new tools, success stories, and more!

Tools for Champions

SPRC is excited to announce two new resources to help you champion the Infrastructure Recommendations:

Using the SPRC State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure Recommendations . This supplemental resource, developed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, provides guidance on bringing the Infrastructure Recommendations to the attention of policymakers. It includes suggested preparatory work for meetings with state leaders, as well as important talking points and follow-up information.

Cover Letter for State Policymakers . This cover letter was written by former Senators Linda Newell (CO) and Randall Head (IN), both of whom served on SPRC's Advisory Panel for State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure. The letter introduces fellow state policymakers to the Summary Recommendations for State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure and makes a compelling case for states to shift their focus from crisis response to prevention. This is a great resource to use when talking with your state’s policymakers about suicide prevention infrastructure.

View more tools »

State Infrastructure Success Stories

The State Infrastructure Success Stories highlight real-life examples of states that have built infrastructure essential for advancing suicide prevention.

Suicide Prevention Leadership in Texas . This latest success story describes how strong leadership for suicide prevention in Texas has led to increased prevention infrastructure. Collaboration occurs at the state and local levels through the state suicide prevention team, two statewide councils, one statewide committee, and the Local Mental Health Authorities.

View more stories »

In Case you Missed It...

Building Suicide Prevention Infrastructure in Your State. SPRC hosted a webinar on October 30 with guest presenters from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and NAMI New Hampshire. With more than 130 people in attendance, presenters discussed how to use the Infrastructure Recommendations to pave the way to success in your state and provided tools to help. The webinar recording, slides, and transcript are now available.

View the webinar »

Join the State Infrastructure Community of Practice!

SPRC is excited to offer an in-depth Community of Practice (CoP) for state teams ready to take the next step in their state’s suicide prevention infrastructure development. Through seven monthly one-hour webinars and activities, this CoP will lead committed state teams in:

Gaining a deeper understanding of the Infrastructure Recommendations
Identifying their infrastructure strengths and needs
Engaging in activities to advance infrastructure development

To register for the 2020 CoP on State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure, please complete the online registration by close of business on January 14, 2020. To decide whether this opportunity is right for your team, please review the 2020 CoP overview, frequently asked questions, and recommended team members list.

For any questions, email Adam Swanson at aswanson@edc.org, or Shawna Hite-Jones at sdhite-jones@edc.org.

Announcements

SAVE THE DATE! Upcoming Webinar on Data Infrastructure. SPRC will host a webinar on February 25 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET on the data infrastructure needed at the state level to support critical suicide prevention efforts. Presenters will discuss a new data supplement to the Infrastructure Recommendations scheduled to be released in January 2020. Stay tuned for more details and registration information in the next issue of this newsletter!

Share this Newsletter!

Know someone who might be interested in receiving updates about the Recommendations for State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure? Share this link with them to sign up:

https://go.edc.org//state-infrastructure-mailing-list

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center at EDC is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), under Grant No. 5U79SM062297. The views, opinions, and content expressed in this product do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of CMHS, SAMHSA, or HHS.