Suicide Prevention Conference: Care to Listen, Listen to Care

The rate of suicide in the United States has increased for the first time in a decade, according to a new report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Injury Research and Policy. The increase in the overall suicide rate between 1999 and 2005 was due primarily to an increase in suicides among whites aged 40-64, with white middle-aged women experiencing the largest annual increase. Whereas the overall suicide rate rose 0.7 percent during this time period, the rate among middle-aged white men rose 2.7 percent annually and 3.9 percent among middle-aged women. By contrast, suicide in blacks decreased significantly over the study’s time period, and remained stable among Asian and Native Americans.

The evidence of suicide is fraught with data and emotion.  According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death among persons of all ages, accounting for 31,484 deaths--a rate of 10.83 per 100,000 Americans in 2003.  During that same time period, suicide was the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15-24. Research also examines the changes in demographics among those committing suicide including cultural, age, and ethnic factors, as well as factors thought to precipitate suicide such as mood disorders. The Joint Commission lists suicide as a Sentinel Event, issuing a Sentinel Event Alert in 1998 and as a 2008 National Patient Goal (15 A) applicable to behavioral health care organizations and hospitals serving psychiatric patients. Nearly 13% of all Sentinel Events in The Joint Commission Data Base is related to suicide, with more than 70 such events reviewed by The Joint Commission in 2007.

Objectives
• Examine strategies designed to prevent suicide and select methods to implement in their home organization
• Distinguish between the meanings of the term “suicide survivor” and identify the impact survival renders on those who attempt but survive as well as family who remain.
• Analyze the synergy that depression & bi-polar disorder as well as alcohol & drug abuse contribute to suicide to formulate preventive strategies
• Examine trends toward suicide exhibited by youth and the elderly to formulate preventive strategies
• Evaluate the role played by chronic illness in contemplating suicide, using the findings to develop pro-active preventive approaches.
• Participate in the Suicide Prevention Workshop as a means of enhancing their skills in counseling and preventing suicide.

Target Audience

Designed for all professionals who treat behavioral health problems, whether in free-standing community-based or facility-based behavioral health care organizations or in hospital settings, the conference is a must-attend event for psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, drug and alcohol counselors, school counselors and other direct care staff.

Continuing Education Units
Summary of applicable hours: ACCME: 14; ANCC: 14; ACHE: 14; California Board of Registered Nursing: 14. 

This program is approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Provider #886393718 ) for 14 Continuing Education Contact Hours.

Day One

8:00 – 8:30 am
Opening/Welcome

Moderator:
Mary Cesare-Murphy, PhD
Executive Director, Behavioral Health Care Accreditation
The Joint Commission

8:30 – 10:15 am
Keynote:  A Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Risk Management in Behavioral Healthcare Settings

The Joint Commission’s 2009 National Patient Safety Goal (15A) requires provides to identify patients at risk for suicide.  Once identified, suicide risk must be managed.  To do this effectively, requires an evidence-based, multifaceted, and comprehensive approach.  This presentation will indentify the key elements of, and discuss challenges and strategies in implementing, system-wide suicide risk management programs.  The impact of such programs on patients, staff and the organization will also be reviewed.

Paul LeBuffe, MA
Director of the Institute of Clinical Training and Research of the Devereux Foundation,  
Master Trainer for the QPR Suicide Prevention Institute
Villa Nova, PA

10:15 – 10:30 am
Break

10:30 – 12:15 pm
Surviving Suicide

Surviving the death of a loved one from suicide is one of the most traumatic deaths to survive.  This presentation will focus on the educational component on how to help others survive the death of a loved one from suicide. Identify the stages of intensified grief and follow a survivor throughout their first two years of survival.

Stephanie Weber
Executive Director
Suicide Prevention Services, Batavia, IL
Speaking on Families and Friends as Survivors

Lauren Hyde
Suicide Survivor

12:15– 1:00 pm
Lunch

Precipitators of Suicide and Strategies for Coping & Prevention
1:00 – 2:15 pm
Veteran’s at Risk for Suicide in the Veteran Population and VA Initiatives

VA Medical Center’s policy is to do the Suicide Prevention Safety Plan, so the veterans that are high risk must have these plans to identify their thoughts and behaviors related to suicide and positive coping skills. This presentation will cover statistics and risk factors specific to the veteran population, discussion of the public health approach the VA is taking in regard to suicide prevention, and  initiatives implemented on a national level by the VA Health Care System to include suicide prevention safety planning with veterans at risk.

Theresa A. Hartmann, MSW, LCSW
Suicide Prevention Coordinator

Dawn Dudek, LCSW
Suicide Prevention Coordinator
Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
Chicago, IL

2:15 – 2:30 pm
Break

2:30 – 3:45 pm
Patients at Risk of Suicide:  Documenting the Suicide Risk Assessment and Treatment Plan

Suicide is a tragic and preventable public health problem, which claims at lease 30,000 lives annually in the Unites States. What’s more, there is no universally accepted definition of an adequate suicide risk assessment.  Guidelines are available however, to assist clinicians in identifying patients at risk for suicide.  This presentation will review the efforts of a large metropolitan Behavioral Health program to develop a consistent approach for documenting both the risk assessment and the treatment plan.

Jeffery Young, M.D., Medical Director
Regional Adult Behavioral Health Services

Providence Health, Portland, OR

3:45 – 5:00 pm
Suicide Among Older Adults
The National Institute of Mental Health notes that older Americans are disproportionately likely to die by suicide. Of every 100,000 people ages 65 and older, 14.3 died by suicide in 2004. This figure is higher than the national average of 10.9 suicides per 100,000 people in the general population. Non-Hispanic white men age 85 or older had an even higher rate, with 17.8 suicide deaths per 100,000. Dr Reed will discuss the precipitators of suicide among the elderly and present strategies for coping with aging.

Jerry Reed, PhD
Director, Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Education Development Center, Inc.
Washington, DC 

Day Two

8:00 – 8:15 am
Update/Announcements: Moderator

8:15 – 9:30 am
Suicide and Youth 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 24, with approximately 4500 lives lost each year. A nationwide survey of youth in grades 9-12 in public and private schools in the United States (U.S.) found that 15% of students reported seriously considering suicide, 11% reported creating a plan, and 7% reporting trying to take their own life in the 12 months preceding the survey. Many children survive suicide attempts, with approximately 149,000 youth between the ages of 10 and 24 receiving medical care for self-inflicted injuries at Emergency Departments across the U.S.
Dr Jha will discuss the issues that precipitate suicide in children and young adults and offer suggestions for prevention.  She will look at identifying risk factors, examining epidemiological trends, and discuss acute and long-term management in those affected with suicidal thoughts.

Poonam Jha, MD
Attending physician, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Children's Memorial Hospital
Instructor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL

9:30- 9:45 am
Break

9:45 am– 11:45 am
Chronic Illness Panel
Representatives from the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, Illinois Chapter, The ALS Association-Greater Chicago Chapter
Consortium of MS Association and the International Organization of MS Nurses, discuss suicide as it relates to those with chronic, debilitating, or terminal illness.

Panel Members:

Topic:  Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s Disease Society of America-Illinois chapter
Melany Danehy, MD, Assistant Professor, Dept of Neurology
Movement Disorders Section
Rush University, Chicago, IL

 

Topic:  Risk Factors for Suicidal Thinking and
Behavior in Multiple Sclerosis
Fred Foley, Ph.D
Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis and
Professor of Psychology
Yeshiva University
Albert Einstein College of Medicine &
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology
Bronx, NY

Topic:  Multiple Sclerosis
Amy Perrin Ross, APN, MSN, CNRN, MSCN
President, International Organization of MS Nurses, New Jersey
and
Neuroscience Program Coordinator
Loyola University Medical Center
Maywood, IL

Topic: ALS
The ALS Association-Greater Chicago Chapter
Nicole Sammartino, MS
Patient Services Coordinator
Chicago, IL
 
11:45 am -12:45 pm
Lunch

Precipitators of Suicide and Strategies for Coping & Prevention
12:45-4:00 pm
(Break included)
Mini Workshop: Gatekeeper Training for  Suicide Prevention

The 2001 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention supports the use of “gatekeeper trainings” for both health professionals and the community at large.  One of the best developed and evidence-based gatekeeper programs is Question, Persuade and Refer or QPR.  This workshop will provide an overview of the rationale for and effectiveness of QPR gatekeeper trainings. The applications of QPR in behavioral healthcare settings and in work with suicide survivors will be emphasized.

Paul LeBuffe, M.A.
Co-Director Devereux Center for Resilient Children
Villa Nova, PA
 
Stephanie Weber, M.S., LCPC
Executive Director
Suicide Prevention Services
Batavia, IL

*Agenda subject to change.  Last updated on April 14, 2009.

Program Location
Joint Commission Conference Center*
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Phone: 877-223-6866

*Adjacent to Joint Commission Resources.

Hotel Information
Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn**
200 Royce Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Phone: 630-953-9393
Room rate: $103

**Across the street from Joint Commission Conference Center

See http://www.jcrinc.com/callforpresentations/ for those available.

The Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources/Joint Commission International value the relationships shared with corporate underwriters. Through support in the form of unrestricted grants, corporate underwriters provide an important means for enriching the content and quality of our products and services. For further details about the 2008 opportunities for corporate underwriting support, please contact Karin Jay, Director of Corporate Development at 630.268.7460 or kjay@jcrinc.com or Corinne Prabhaker, Development Coordinator at 630.268.3748 or cprabhaker@jcrinc.com.

June 11-12, 2009, Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Program code: 09061
Program fee: $795 per registrant
Early bird fee: $695 per registrant
(Expires May 26, 2009.  Payment must be received by May 26, 2009)
To register for this program, please call Customer Service at 877-223-6866.

Please note:  JCR's concern for safety, quality and sustainability extends beyond the health care setting.  We will provide program handouts that are printed six slides to a page in an effort to reduce paper waste and mitigate our impact on the environment.  You will be able to download program materials from our website after the program has occurred.  The necessary login and password information will be provided to you at the conference.

Joint Commission Resources reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a program due to an insufficient number of registrants or other unforeseen circumstances. If a program must be cancelled, the registration fee will be refunded in full to each registrant. You may verify current program status on our web site or by calling JCR Customer Service at 877-223-6866. Neither Joint Commission Resources nor the Joint Commission is responsible for a registrant's travel expenses in the event a program is cancelled.  Participants are encouraged to purchase refundable tickets in case a program is cancelled or rescheduled.  Participants should also be aware that most airline tickets, including nonrefundable or discounted tickets, can be reissued within one year from the date the original ticket was issued.