grandpa1917m's comments

How to Help a Suicidal Person (2) - Blog Entry

14 Aug 2007 02:35 PM

I'm new here and my name is Mike. I am impressed at what I've read here and have taken the liberty of adding a relevant item. If I've intruded, please let me know and I delete. --- Suicide Prevention in the Workplace

I was a civilian during the Viet Nam War who was a paraprofessional volunteer on a suicide prevention 'hotline' as an 'added duty' to my job with the USAF. I am no longer certified to offer guidance on the subject (long-retired and much too old), but remain an informal advocate for organized and adequately staffed nationwide/worldwide suicide prevention resources. I came across this forum yesterday while browsing the site's content and thought that readers might be interested in the following information that was included in the 'The Weekly SPARK', an e-newsletter of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC).

The March 1, 2007 issue of 'SPARK' included links to the items listed below. IMO, the information and guidance contained at the links deserve wide dissemination to the general public, families, government and educational institutions, youth/young adults, 'all age' groups and formal organizations, military 'active' duty and veterans, disaster response, law enforcement, chaplaincy, managers and supervisors in professional and industrial entities from top executives to first line supervisors, labor union officials and staff, survivors of suicides, and other organizations and persons that readers feel may find the info useful or otherwise relevant to their interests. Applicability, in effect, is universal because 'Suicide Prevention is Everybody's Business.'

The SPRC listing referred to above is headed: Spark Extra! To learn more on developing suicide prevention strategies for the workplace, visit:

U.S. Air Force Leader's Guide for Managing Personnel in Distress at:

http://www.sprc.org/library/AirForceCD/default1.htm and

ValueOptions Strategic Principles for Suicide Prevention at:

http://www.valueoptions.com/suicide_prev/html%20pages/Strategy.htm

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SPRC is supported by a cooperative agreement from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and operated by Health and Human Development Programs at Education Development Center, Inc., (EDC). SPRC works in collaboration with other national organizations and suicide prevention initiatives.

In 2001, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the leadership of the Surgeon General, published the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP).

http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/suicideprevention/

The document creates a framework for suicide prevention in the nation. Advocates, clinicians, researchers and survivors around the nation collaborated in its development. Many states and territories use the NSSP for planning state strategy. The creation of the NSSP was the most important recommendation of the 1999 publication, Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Suicide.

http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/suicideprevention/calltoaction.asp

SPRC was created in 2002 to fulfill Goal 4.8 of the NSSP, which called for "the development of a technical assistance and resource center to build capacity for states and communities to implement and evaluate suicide prevention programs. The SPRC Home Page is at:

http://www.sprc.org/

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Mike1917m