Roots of Hope A Community Suicide Prevention Project

Roots of Hope: A Community Suicide Prevention Project Karla Thorpe, Director, Prevention and Promotion Initiatives Mental Health Commission of Canada May 1, 2018

Suicide Prevention – A High Priority

IIMHL: Background • IIMHL match identified key elements of a systemic and evidence-based community suicide prevention approach • Built on best and promising practices and tools

Models Reviewed • World Health Organization Guidelines • Lifespan (Australia) • ‘Help for Life’ Strategy for Prevention Suicide (Quebec) • European Alliance Against Depression (Germany) • Aboriginal Suicide & Critical Incident Response Team (Okanagan Nation) • Adolescent Suicide Prevention Program (American Indian Tribe in Southwestern United States) • United States Air Force Suicide Prevention Program

Roots of Hope • Multi-site, multi-year research demonstration, similar in design to At Home/Chez Soi • Test proven suicide prevention interventions as components of a ‘Made in Canada’ Model • Implement in multiple jurisdictions across Canada representing a wide diversity of communities • Develop an evidence-base, including best practices • Develop a set of suicide prevention guidelines and tools • Invest in “scaling up” so that effective interventions can be implemented all across Canada

Pillars of Activity

Training & Networks • Goal is to offer training to gatekeepers (e. g. , police officers and other first responders, teachers, coaches, spiritual leaders, human resource staff) who often have contact with those at risk for suicide • The training aims to support these individuals to know • what to watch for • how to talk safely about suicide • where to refer people for help

Public Awareness Campaigns • Aim is to raise public awareness on suicide prevention and community resources for suicide and mental health • Public awareness campaigns have the potential to: o change negative attitudes about suicide o make it easier for people to seek help when they need it o bring awareness to warning signs and resources • Need to promote national suicide prevention services to support those in crisis and those who are bereaved by suicide

Means Restriction • Restricting access to common means of suicide gives individuals contemplating suicide more time to reconsider • Means restriction differs by region stressing the importance of looking at local data • Examples include safety fences on bridges or buildings, getting rid of sharp objects in patient rooms, locking away prescription medication

Specialized Supports • Additional support needs to be provided for those who have thoughts of suicide, who have attempted suicide, and who are bereaved by suicide (prevention, intervention and postvention) • For example, connections between primary care and mental health services should be enhanced and peer support groups established, particularly for vulnerable populations

Research • Having strong evidence and information on suicide prevention will: • assist in addressing the issue • help identify populations at high risk • demonstrate which evidence-based practices are the most effective

Guiding Principles Measurement & Evaluation Sustainable Span the Continuum Collaboration/ Coordination Flexible Engage People with Lived Expertise Community Centred Culturally Appropriate Recovery Oriented Innovative Strengths Based Comprehensive Evidence Informed

Project Phases PHASE ONE: Planning and Preparation PHASE TWO: Implementation PHASE THREE: Reporting and Knowledge Exchange OUTPUTS: Data analysis | Final report Toolkit | Publications Implementation Reporting PHASE FOUR: Scaling Up OUTPUTS: Training and technical support | Scaling up & sustainability YEAR 1 YEAR 3 Scaling Up YEAR 4 OUTPUTS: Training | Intervention implementation | Data collection YEAR 2 Planning YEAR 5 OUTPUTS: Community selection | Formalize partners |Develop research protocol

Anticipated Project Sites

Next Steps Project Initiation Project Planning Project Preparation • Obtain provincial/territorial buy-in to participate • Sign a Memorandum of Understanding outlining roles • Initiate engagement with community stakeholders • Establish local advisory committees (if not in place) • Conduct community environmental scan • Determine project components • Prepare community action plan

Contact Us Karla Thorpe Director Prevention and Promotion Initiatives Mental Health Commission of Canada kthorpe@mentalhealthcommission. ca