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2017 Annual Meeting

September 12–14, 2017

Aurora, Colorado

The links below contained detailed information for the upcoming 2017 Safe States Alliance Annual Meeting, taking place September 12-14, 2017 in Aurora, Colorado.

Please note:

Exploring Innovations in suicide surveillance: Stories from the field

Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 3:30 PM–4:45 PM MDT
Conference Room 2
Learning Objectives

In this session, participants will: 

  1. Objective 1:  Identify 1-2 challenges to creating and maintaining a quality suicide surveillance infrastructure.
  2. Objective 2:  Using 1-2 resources or examples from the field, explain the role of innovation in overcoming challenges in suicide surveillance.
  3. Objective 3:  Reflect on how lessons learned from other agencies might be applicable to identified surveillance challenges in their own work/agency.
Statement of Purpose

Quality suicide surveillance data is vital for mobilizing stakeholders, engaging in data-informed planning, ensuring quality improvement, and determining impact.  The availability of suicide surveillance data varies between and within state systems, depending on a multitude factors. These factors include: 1) existing policies, legislation, and organizational structures that support or inhibit data collection and sharing, 2) system and staff capacity to collect, analyze and use data, and 3) consistency of data collection and availability of training to sustain quality data collection systems. Guidance is needed to support injury prevention professionals as they build and expand state suicide surveillance systems.

Methods/Approach

Responding to the field’s need for guidance on creating and maintaining a quality suicide surveillance infrastructure, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has developed suicide surveillance-based resources, including “Breaking Down Barriers:  Using Youth Suicide-Related Surveillance Data from State Systems,” and a series of suicide surveillance success stories from the field.  Using these resources and real-world accounts from Injury Prevention professionals, we will reflect on the role of innovation in discovering “what works” in suicide surveillance.

Results

Common themes emerged, including the role of trust and relationship building, the need to engage non-traditional partners (e.g., emergency rooms, juvenile justice systems, district attorney’s office), identify supportive organizations and policies, build internal staff and system capacity, and address challenges – such as consistent collection, identifying resources and protecting client confidentiality – with innovative solutions.

Conclusions & Significance to the Field

Building on these common themes, the presentation will conclude with a guided discussion designed to help prevention providers address data infrastructure challenges and allowing peer-sharing to foster fresh innovation.

Presenters

Ms. Julie Ebin, EdM, EDC/Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Biography

Ms. Julie Ebin, EdM, Manager of Special Initiatives at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, oversees training and technical assistance projects for states, Garrett Lee Smith youth suicide prevention grantees, and inpatient hospitals, regarding Zero Suicide, surveillance, care transitions, and more. Julie has lead a number of Communities of Practice, including ones on Zero Suicide and on partnering with medical emergency departments. Prior to joining SPRC in 2011, Julie’s work focused on community-level LGBT health promotion and HIV/STI prevention and education, including provider professional education.

Mr. Leonard Lee, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Biography

Mr. Leonard M. Lee is currently the Division Director of Violence and Injury Prevention at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health overseeing a $30mil budget. Under his leadership, he manages four units: Sexual and Domestic Violence Prevention, Child and Youth Violence Prevention, Suicide Prevention Program, and Injury Prevention and Control Program.  Prior to taking on the senior managerial role at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Mr. Lee served the Commonwealth as the Unit Manager of Child and Youth Violence Prevention.  This role included managing the following programs: Shaken Baby Syndrome, Youth Violence Prevention, and Safe Spaces for GLBTQ Youth.

Mr. Ethan Jamison, MPH, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Biography

Ethan Jamison, MPH, is the coordinator and epidemiologist for the Colorado Violent Death Reporting System at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. He specializes in the collection, analysis, dissemination, and evaluation of public health surveillance data that focuses on deaths that are violent in nature (homicide, suicides, and others). Ethan has his Master's of Public Health, with a concentration in epidemiology from the Colorado School of Public Health. 

Co-Authors

Dr. Kristen Quinlan, PhD, EDC/Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Primary Contact

Ms. Julie Ebin, EdM, EDC/Suicide Prevention Resource Center
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