Updates on the Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grant
implementation in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Schuylkill Counties
Grantee Page (password-protected page for grantees and staff)
Documents about the Grant: Since the state received the grant in October a core workgroup has been meeting weekly by phone conference and monthly face to face to oversee the implementation process. One of the main objectives for the first year of the grant is to partner with primary care facilities who would be willing to participate in the use of a web-based tool designed to screen for suicidality in youth ages 14-24, as well as for other behavior health concerns such as depression, substance abuse, and high risk behaviors. We are pleased to announce that In addition to the trainings for primary care physicians, the grant is also funding free training for behavioral health providers. Kim Poling, L.C.S.W. of the So far, all of these free trainings have been well attended. For additional information, please contact the clinical coordinator in your area: 570-207-9199 570-954-4424 570-621-2890 Grant Update, March 30, 2009 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently awarded a youth suicide prevention grant to the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The award is for $500,000 per year for three years, for a total of $1.5 million. The grants are authorized as part of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, sponsored in Congress by Senator Gordon Smith of
Brochure
Screening Information
Training
News:
Lackawanna County grant featured
Year One Celebration: Youth Suicide Prevention in Primary Care Stakeholder Meeting
Marking the completion of the Year One of the grant period, a one-day meeting of stakeholders was held on October 16, 2009 to report about and assess the progress made so far and to seek input for the future. The meeting included a summary of progress on the five objectives of the grant—featuring representatives from the three counties implementing the grant— along with presentations by two agencies in other parts of the state modeling collaboration between physical and behavioral health, and by Richard McKeon from the Suicide Prevention Branch of the Center for Mental Health Services at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services on "Community Partnerships in Suicide Prevention."
Webinar Presentations by Dr. David Brent, STAR-Center, Pittsburgh
Suicidal Risk in Adolescents: Assessment and Treatment, originally presented May 21, 2009 (sponsored by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics)
Pharmacological Management of Adolescent Depression in Primary Care, originally presented September 16, 2009 (sponsored by the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians)
Grant Update, June 3, 2009
Kudos to
Efforts are also underway to gather information from physicians on the concerns, needs, and strengths of the primary care community related to working with adolescent patients with behavioral health problems in general and suicidality specifically. To date over 7500 surveys have been sent to physicians across the commonwealth. If you are a physician, please consider taking this brief online survey:
Reported by Denise Short, Mental Health Program Representative, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
The three counties involved in the Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention in Primary Care grant (Lackawanna, Luzerne and Schuylkill) are in the process of identifying primary care and behavioral health practices who will partner with the counties and each other as pilot projects in the implementation of the grant's objectives. Participation in the grant will involve trainings with staff, implementation of the web-based behavioral health screening tool, and increasing collaboration between primary care practices and key mental health partners. Benefits include participation in the development of a national model for youth suicide prevention in primary care, access to web-based behavioral screening tool, and training and technical assistance. In addition, training on cognitive behavioral therapy for youth at risk for suicide will be held in April and May. Attendance is limited and by invitation only, targeting clinicians who are partnering with the grant.
Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Kick-Off Events Held
Efforts are under way in Luzerne,
The two-hour lunch discussion was held at the
Sherry Peters, project director from the state Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, shared information on the national need for youth suicide prevention and gave an overview of the grant. Guy Diamond, project co-chair, provided information on the central aims of the grant such as the linkage between physical health and behavioral health services, the benefit of the screening tool to be used in primary care settings, and training opportunities for those who are involved in the lives of youth.
Participants were able to ask questions and share any concerns related to barriers, challenges and possible solutions. Each event also resulted in commitments from some participants to join their local suicide prevention task force. Partnerships began to take shape between local mental health agencies, primary care physicians and behavioral health as they began to discuss their roles in the grant moving forward.
Reported by Denise Short, Mental Health Program Representative, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Pennsylvania Awarded Youth Suicide Prevention Grant
The
These three pilot projects will focus on five primary objectives: 1) create a partnership within each county of policy makers, medical and behavioral health care providers, local suicide task forces, family members, and local medical and behavioral health insurance companies; 2) provide a youth suicide “gatekeeper” training program for participating pediatricians, family physicians and nurse practitioners; 3) provide medical practitioners free access to a web-based, patient self-report screening tool to assess for suicide and related risk factors; 4) increase the integration of behavioral health services with physical health services; and 5) provide clinical training in best practice therapy models for youth who are suicidal to the behavioral health providers who will receive referrals of these at-risk youth.
In its grant proposal,
Representatives from the mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice, child welfare, and education systems in each county support the goals of this grant. Each county has well-developed primary care systems, adequate mental health services, appropriate emergency room services, and has access to inpatient psychiatric hospital beds. Two of the counties have very strong suicide prevention task forces. These groups will be active participants in moving the proposed projects forward.
The overarching goal of the “Suicide Prevention in Primary Care” project is to identify barriers, solutions and resources that will allow the state to expand the primary care suicide prevention project across the commonwealth. As the projects are developed in the three pilot counties, progress reports will be posted here, along with resources and other information that will help other counties think about how they could replicate the project.
Grant Summary: Youth Suicide Prevention in Primary Care