By Michelle Williams
Community Health Network has launched www.HaveHope.com, a new website with resources to help prevent teen suicide. Part of the Zero Suicide Initiative, tools are available to help peers, parents, and educators to learn the warning signs and risk factors associated with suicide.
Indiana holds the nation’s second highest rate of high school students attempting suicide. “For Community Health Network, every life lost to suicide is one too many, and our behavioral health team works each and every day to change and save lives,” said Cathy Boggs, executive director of government and affiliate relations.
“Community’s Zero Suicide initiative is an aspirational goal to achieve a zero percent suicide incident rate for people in our care in the next ten years,” Boggs said. The model was developed by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and other partners, and Community Health Network is among the first healthcare systems nationally to begin full implementation.
Community has partnered with IPS and other local school systems to provide presentations and materials about the website and other initiatives to combat teen suicide. “We are promoting the resource on Community’s social media channels like Facebook and Twitter to reach teens, parents and teachers outside of the school environment,” Boggs said.
The website is funded by grants from The Glick Fund and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Resources used in the creation of the content include the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and QPR Institute – which stands for Question, Persuade and Refer. Community Health Network provides QPR Institute training for individuals to learn to recognize warning signs of suicide, know how to offer hope, and know how to get help and save a life.
