Events and Resources
NAMI Offers: Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
Learn the three steps anyone can take to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught gatekeeper training program in the United States. This 1.5-hour class is for members of the community over the age of 16 who want to learn best practices in suicide prevention. A certificate of attendance is available for this class and will be sent after you fill out the evaluation.
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QPR: Thursday, January 5, 2023, 11 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.
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QPR: Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Thursday, January 19, 6 -7 p.m.. Location: O’Connell Fire Station, 14321 O’Connell Rd, Savage, MN 55378. Registration is not necessary
2BContinued Suicide Prevention Symposium - A Training for Faith Leaders
Date and time: Thursday, February 2, 2023 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Location: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1407 Cedar Avenue North, Glencoe, MN
Registration fee: $30 (includes lunch)
Attendees will learn about the critical role faith leaders can play in preventing suicide, how to support those affected by suicide, and helpful community resources that are available. This event is open to faith leaders from all walks of faith (pastors, priests, youth leaders, other church workers, etc.). A certificate of attendance will be available.
2023 Farm Couple Retreat
It’s not uncommon for farm stress to take a toll on spousal and family relationships. And problematic relationships can spell trouble for the farm, too. All kinds of producers – crop, dairy, hog, beef, poultry, fruit, veg, diversified, etc. – are welcome at these meaningful retreats.
Scheduled events include January 20-21 in Detroit Lakes; January 27-28 in St. Cloud; and February 10-11 in Mankato. Please help get the word out to farm couples across the state.
View the full brochure and register at the MN Dairy Initiative.
Changing the Narrative on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Date and time: Thursday, February 23, 2023 from 9 – 11 a.m.
Register: Changing the Narrative on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Talking about mental health and suicide can be an uncomfortable and uncertain topic that brings up different feelings, beliefs, and attitudes for everyone. Changing the Narrative is an interactive conversation that empowers participants to change perceptions of mental health towards hope and resilience.
Throughout the session, participants will engage in dialog about being intentional in the words we are using. Certain ways of talking about mental health and suicide can alienate members of any community, sensationalize the issue, contribute to a decrease in help seeking behavior or even present suicide as a glamorous, preferred way of dealing with problems. Having healthy conversations about mental health and suicide avoids harmful messages that might increase suicide risk in individuals or undermine suicide prevention goals. By doing this safely, it reduces stigma, mitigates risks, promotes help-seeking, and respects all individuals
For more information, feel free to reach out to Jenilee Telander or Kelly Felton at Jenilee.Telander@state.mn.us or Kelly.Felton@state.mn.us
Updates from MDH
Minnesota Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Trainer Survey/Network
The Suicide Prevention Unit is working to establish a master list of people in Minnesota certified to train in different suicide prevention and mental health trainings. We hope to use the list when we receive requests for trainings and are considering offering regular networking opportunities for trainers interested in connecting with other trainers across the state. If you are a trainer and would like to be included on our list, please complete this Suicide Prevention Trainer Survey. We will be hosting an initial networking meeting Wednesday, January 18 at 1 p.m. Please email Melissa Dau at melissa.dau@state.mn.us to receive the network meeting invitation.
Minnesota Kognito Training for Schools Update
Kognito At Risk and Friend2Friend provide trainings to staff and students on mental health and suicide prevention. These trainings are free for schools and teachers in Minnesota. There is still time to bring the Kognito training for mental health and suicide prevention to your school or school district. Dr. Jeff Ridlehoover, Superintendent of the Sartell-St. Stephen School district provided the following statement in support of the professional development training.
“Daily, educators see, first-hand, the need for significant mental health support in our schools. Far too often, we have felt inadequate to identify and subsequently connect our students with mental health professionals that can assist our young people when they need it most. Kognito, through age-appropriate interactive simulations, allows educators and support staff personnel to gain an understanding of key mental health indicators and it provides the next step, which is how to best assist our students with accessing the support they need.”
Register for and attend an informational session if you are interested in learning more about the Kognito At-Risk training for school staff or the Friend2Friend training for students. If you have questions about implementing the training, please attend one of the office hours sessions listed below.
General Information Sessions are held the second Tuesday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Register for the date of your choosing: Informational Webinar Registration.
Friend2Friend Implementation Session are held the third Thursday of each month from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Register for the date of your choosing: F2F Informational Webinar Registration
Administrative Data Portal Training and Go Live Office Hours are held the second Thursday of each month from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Register for the date of your choosing: Kognito Admin Portal Training-Open Office Hours
CentraCare Zero Suicide Updates
After piloting universal screening for suicide within several of their hospitals, as of October 25, 2022, the CentraCare Health System is universally screening for suicide for all patients aged 10 and older at all eight of their hospitals. As a part of this launch, they also changed policy and protocol to screening daily for suicide for all admitted patients to account for the fluctuation of risk that can occur over the course of a hospitalization. In addition, updates to their electronic medical record were also made that will more quickly allow nursing staff to determine level of risk with the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale screening tool, and banners were added to their main page storyboard that highlight low, moderate, or high levels of risk to better communicate suicide risk across any staff member who engages with a patient at risk. They will be initiating a suicide prevention champion model with nursing staff over the winter to better facilitate learning, communication, and identify needs for continued quality improvement.
Zero Suicide work in their Behavioral Health section has also moved forward. After completing a yearlong Behavioral Health Implementation Team process, they have created a steering committee that will oversee initial work on education, evidence-based treatment, and electronic medical record updates.
To learn more about Zero Suicide initiatives in Minnesota, please feel free to contact Jenilee Telander at Jenilee.Telander@state.mn.us
Cass Lake Indian Health Service Unit Completes Postvention Training
A group of clinic and hospital staff from the Cass Lake Indian Health Service Unit participated in a postvention training. The focus of postvention is to provide a coordinated and planned response to a death by suicide. “Our facility does not currently have any postvention policies or procedures in place. We think it is important to have a plan in place when traumatic events occur such as having an individual die by suicide. Not having a plan in place causes us to react to the event rather than respond. Our workgroup will continue to meet to develop policy and procedures,” said Natascha Poole, social worker with the Cass Lake Indian Health Service.
Postvention is a component of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. The impact of a death by suicide has a ripple effect in both immediate family, extended family, and potentially the community. “Statistics show that most individuals who have died by suicide have visited a health care facility in the month prior. That being the case our staff are likely to encounter a patient who dies by suicide, and it is important we know how to best support our staff in those situations. While we are focusing on an internal plan, postvention really is a community effort,” said Natascha.
The Cass Lake Indian Health Service has been building their suicide prevention capacity for many years. Some strategies include: Zero Suicide Academy, gatekeeper trainings (ASIST, safeTALK, QPR, etc.), and has been active with the Leech Lake caring partners.
Learn more about Suicide Prevention Trainings in Minnesota.
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