Program aims to reduce suicide rate in New Hampshire
Granite State has seen spike in suicide rate in recent years
Granite State has seen spike in suicide rate in recent years
Granite State has seen spike in suicide rate in recent years
New Hampshire has experienced one of the largest spikes in suicide rates in the country, but health care providers are hoping that a statewide collaboration will reverse the trend.
Granite State emergency departments, mental health centers and others are uniting for the Behavioral Health Clinical Learning Collaborative.
"The overall goal of the project is to integrate and collaborate on best practices," said Nancy Fennell, director of the collaborative.
Funded by a two-year grant, the collaborative will expedite mental health services for patients in need.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Hampshire has experienced a 48 percent increase in suicides from 1999 to 2016. Until now, there has been no standard risk assessment test for hospitals and health centers to follow.
"If the people in hospital X are letting people go and they're not assessing properly for suicide, that's a big problem," said Dennis Walker, of Seacoast Mental Health.
The foundation of the program is the Columbia Protocol to measure suicide risk. It's a six-question survey that can identify whether a person is a threat to themselves.
Health workers said the first two questions are vital: "Have you wished you were dead or wished you could go to sleep and not wake up?" and, "Have you actually had any thoughts of killing yourself?"
"Then you can be assured that you're thinking this situation through in a correct way," Walker said. "Then you can see what level of care is needed, because not everyone needs to go to the hospital."
Under the program, everyone from hospital leadership to front desk staff will be versed in recognizing the signs of someone in need.
"Being able to work with these first-line communicators and being able to establish that relationship with the patient is probably the most valuable part of it," Fennell said.
Administrators have met monthly in an effort to keep the program on track. They said they hope to roll it out in all state hospitals no later than February 2020.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit its website to talk to someone online.