Suicide Awareness and Prevention in Washington County Tricia - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Suicide Awareness and Prevention in Washington County

Tricia Mortell, Public Health Division Manager Vicki Horn, Veteran Services Supervisor Rich Roell, Program Coordinator Lifeworks Northwest

September 3, 2019

National Suicide Prevention Month

Time for us all to reflect on what we can do to raise awareness and support efforts toward Zero Suicide

 Learn the warning signs and how to respond  Free trainings available at GetTrainedtoHelp.com.  Put the national suicide prevention lifeline number in your

phone 1-800-273-8255

 Join the Washington County Suicide Prevention Council  Out of the Darkness Walk in Portland on October 5, 2019

Just the Tip of the Iceberg (2017)

 National rate: 14 per 100,000  Reported suicides: 47173  People with thoughts of suicide:  4% in past year  15% in their lifetime  One in four will make a plan.  Half of those will make an attempt.  3-4% will end in death.

Just the Tip of the Iceberg (2017)

 Reported suicides in Oregon: 825  Reported suicides in Washington County: 74  One person dies of suicide every 11 hours  8th leading cause of death  2nd leading cause of death for ages 12-44  4th leading cause of death for 45-64

High Risk Groups

 Veterans – 2016 national rate of 30.1  Active Military – 2016 rate of 21.1 across all branches  Other high risk groups include LGBTQ youth, older white

men, persons with mental health conditions including substance use disorders, those who live in rural areas, those who work in the construction industry

 Common threads: men, social isolation, access to care

issues, trauma, easy access to lethal means

Veterans

 Approximately 35,000 veterans in Washington County  Disability, Aging and Veteran Services assist veterans in

applying for federal and state benefits and connecting veterans to other resources

 VetCenter offers counseling in our office one day per week  Assistance connecting to VA Health Care  Pacific University partnership for family/partner counseling  Community resources: Returning Veterans Project and

• ther community-based groups

Disability, Aging and Veteran Services

Received funding from Oregon Department of Veteran Affairs(ODVA) for Suicide Prevention in 18/19

 Hosted two screenings of Project 22  Two Veteran Service Officers are trained in Mental Health First Aid

for Veterans Received funding from ODVA 19/20

 Working with Oregon Society of Artists to host an art show and

• ffer classes to veterans as a means to connect in the community

 Plan to offer Mental Health First Aid for Veterans four times in

19/20

 2012 – Highest recorded suicide rate in Washington County history, with a

67% increase between 2009 and 2012

 2013 - Summit of Hope  2013 – Suicide Prevention Council began  2014 – Over 4,000 Washington County residents trained in suicide

prevention

 2015 – Get Trained to Help launched  2015 – Suicide Fatality Review Board established  2015 and 2019 – Means reduction projects

Suicide Prevention Efforts

What is Means Reduction?

 Removing the lethal means / method by

which people kill themselves, thus making death less likely

 Putting time and distance between a suicidal

person and a highly lethal method such as guns, bridges, etc., during a suicidal crisis

What We Have Learned From Attempters

24% 24% 23% 16% 13%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Less Than 5 minutes 5-19 minutes 20 minutes - 1 hour 2-8 hours 1 or more days

How much time passed between the time you decided to complete suicide and when you actually attempted?

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/means-matter/duration/#Simon

Methods of Self-Harm, U.S.

Fatal (Suicide): CDC WONDER (2016) 54% firearm in Oregon Nonfatal: Canner 2016

Nonfatal Attempts Fatal

Overdose/Poison 66%

Overdose/ Poison 12%

Firearm 51%

Hanging/ Suffocation 26%

Sharps 22%

Other 9% Gas 3% Jump 2% Sharps 2% Other 4% Suffocation 2% Firearm 1%

Means Restriction and Washington County

WSCC Parking Garage Barrier

 Initial briefing in 2015  Approved in 2018  Funds allocated in 2019  Construction starts in 2020

Gun Shop Education/Partnership

 Visited 36 gun shops  Goals: Educate about guns and

suicide, encourage QPR training and awareness of SPC

 All but one shop welcomed the

information, took brochures

 Two expressed interest in SPC and

further trainings

Our Work is Making a Difference

47% drop in the suicide rate since 2012

Next Steps

We need to:

 Work in partnership with gun shops, owners and

enthusiasts

 Engage and train gun owners about “why means

matters”

 Train clinicians in Lethal Means Counseling

Resources

 24/7 Washington County Crisis Line: 503-291-9111  www.GetTrainedtoHelp.com  Get a gun lock/gun safe