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With September designated as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, it is an opportune time to raise awareness, normalize help-seeking, and support people affected by suicide. Acknowledging this important work, OCMH’s monthly Showcasing Solutions and Data Bite focus on suicide.
Zero Suicide Initiative in Green Lake County
Working towards zero suicide in health and behavioral health care systems is the aim of Zero Suicide. It is an approach where participating organizations commit to suicide prevention on a system-wide level across their community. Green Lake County Health and Human Services and community partners are among the Wisconsin communities embracing Zero Suicide. Read about their work in OCMH’s newest Showcasing Solutions.
Sharing innovative programs in children’s mental health across Wisconsin is the goal of OCMH’s Showcasing Solutions. See all the inspirational stories here.
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Seasonal Spikes in Youth Suicide – OCMH Data Bite
In OCMH’s newest Data Bite, we look at seasonal spikes in youth suicide. Contrary to the myth of winter holiday blues, youth suicides spike in October. See the Data Bite here.
OCMH’s Data Bites look at an important aspect of children’s mental health in an easy-to-understand and share visual. See all the Data Bites here.
See OCMH Fact Sheets on important suicide-related topics:
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New Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Plan Released
The Prevent Suicide Wisconsin State Suicide Prevention Plan was released September 4th. Titled Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Plan: Strategies for Action and Hope, the plan is designed to increase the effectiveness of suicide prevention efforts by providing statewide data along with best practices, resources, and recommended action steps. It was written to include something for anyone who picks it up, including healthcare providers, community leaders, educators, advocates, and anyone invested in promoting mental health.
Access the report here.
The report press release offers more information and best practices on how to report on and cover suicide.
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Suicide Month Awareness Resources
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Kids are back to school and with that comes changes in routines, expectations, social interaction, and, for many, anxiety. There are many good resources available for our children and families. Below are a few that crossed our screens.
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Nurturing Belonging, Emotional Well-Being, and Safety in a New School Year Tips – Great ideas for parents and caregivers on building relationships first, looking beyond the behavior, practicing curiosity, keeping routines predictable, and building your village. From the Arizona State University Reach Institute Center for Resilient Families and Mental Health America.
The Kids Mental Health Foundation – Make mental health a vital part of the school year with back-to-school resources. Use these tools and resources to teach kids mental health skills. Learn more here.
Speak Up, Speak Out Wisconsin Threat Reporting Tip Line – Students, parents, school staff, or community members can submit a school safety concern or threat on the Speak Up, Speak Out tip line. Submitting options include online, downloading the mobile app from the webpage, calling 1.800.MY-SUSO, or by texting “SUSO” to 738477. Resource center staff respond to tips and deploy a local response by communicating directly with school administrators, law enforcement, and counselors. The tipline was created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Office of School Safety.
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Family Voices – For children with disabilities there are things families can do to ease the back-to-school stress they may be feeling. A good place to start is talking with your child about the school year – what they are excited about and if they have any worries. Learn more here.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) – In addition to providing resources to enhance school security and student and staff safety, CISA provides awareness materials for parents and educators. Learn more here.
Childhood Vaccines – When kids get sick, parents experience increased stress from concern over their child’s health and having to run them to doctors and the hospital. One of the most important ways to prevent numerous childhood diseases, including those that cause serious illness, is vaccines. Recently, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the firing and resignation of leaders at the CDC has many parents confused about recommendations surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccinations. While some jurisdictions, like Florida, are adding to the confusion by dropping vaccination requirements, other school districts are finding ways to ensure that all students have access to them. The Milwaukee Health Department has purchased multiple doses of the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine for students at public and private schools who haven’t received their shots. The Department is also hosting four clinics across Milwaukee to make it easier for families to get their children vaccinated. Healthy kids reduces parent anxiety and means kids in classrooms better open to learning.
OCMH Refreshes Logo
Did you notice something a little different at the heading of this month’s newsletter? We’ve refreshed our logo to better reflect our focus – Wisconsin’s children and youth! In the center of the circle you’ll see the depiction of two young people together, each with an arm reaching out of the circle. We hope to convey the importance of youth being socially connected and the power of peer relationships reaching out to others. We’ve updated the font and retained our OCMH colors (blue, orange, green, and purple). We hope you like the refreshed logo as much as we do! Soon you will see the new logo on our website, some of our key resources, and all our materials going forward.
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SB 222 / AB 201 Sextortion is created as a Class I felony crime if a person does any of the following: 1) Threatens to injure the property or reputation of another to coerce that person to engage in sexual conduct or to produce an intimate representation. 2) Threatens to commit violence against another to coerce that person to engage in sexual conduct or to produce an intimate representation. 3) Threatens to distribute an intimate representation of another person with intent to coerce that person to engage in sexual conduct, produce an intimate representation, or to provide payment of money, property, services, or anything of value, or to do or refrain from doing any act against that person’s will. Actually engaging in any of these activities would become a Class H felony. The bill specifies penalties for these crimes. The bill also provides that a crime victim or the victim’s family member would be eligible for payment from the Department of Justice’s crime victim compensation fund if the victim is injured, attempts suicide or dies. This bill was proposed after the tragic suicide of Bradyn Bohn, a student at DC Everest High School in Weston. On September 4, the bill as amended unanimously passed the Senate Committee on Judiciary & Public Safety.
AB 388 / SB 407 This bill requires the Department of Health Services to award a onetime grant to Rogers Behavioral Health during fiscal year 2025-26 to construct and build an integrated mental health facility in the Chippewa Valley region of the state that includes a crisis stabilization unit, residential treatment center, partial hospitalization/intensive outpatient program, and supportive living to provide adolescents and adults with a full continuum of care for mental health issues. Anticipated bed numbers are: 7 adult and 7 youth inpatient beds plus 24 residential beds. All public and private payments will be accepted as will involuntary placements. Hearings have been held by both the Senate and Assembly Mental Health Committees. The Assembly Committee has scheduled AB 388 for a vote on September 9.
AB 400 / SB 405 Creates a civil cause of action against a health care provider who performs a medical, surgical or medication gender transition procedure on an individual who is under 18 years of age and who is injured, including any physical, psychological, emotional, or physiological injury, by the gender transition procedure or related treatment or the aftereffects of the gender transition procedure or related treatment. The bill provides four required conditions for a provider’s successful defense against the action. Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
SB 368 / AB 356. Requires locked storage of a firearm in a residence if a child is present. Referred to Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs. Because the bill creates a new crime and revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties will likely be requested to prepare a report.
Protecting Young Minds Online Act. U.S. Rep. Steil (R-Janesville) and U.S. Rep. Becca Balin (D-VT-AL) introduced this bill in Congress which directs the Center for Mental Health Services to develop and disseminate a strategy to address the effects of new technologies, like social media, on children’s mental health. Release.
30-Day Youth Meditation Challenge
MHA Lakeshore is offering a free 30-Day Youth Meditation Challenge for youth. Each day features a quick 1-2 minute meditation with imaginative, engaging themes like Mountain Stillness, Balloon Breaths, Sparkling Stars, Peaceful Garden, and Floating Leaf. The practices can help children regulate their emotions and bodies and is great for students in grades PK-5. Sign up for the challenge here. Learn more about MHA (Mental Health America) Lakeshore here.
988 Day
September 8th was 988 Day. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a free and confidential support for anyone experiencing a suicidal, mental health, and/or substance use crisis. All Wisconsinites are encouraged to share information about 988 with their family, friends, and networks. Learn more about 988 here. Check out ideas for promoting 988 here. See Gov. Evers' proclamation proclaiming September 8, 2025 as 988 Day.
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Qualified Treatment Trainee Grant Opportunity
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services Division of Care and Treatment Services in partnership with the UW-Milwaukee Center for Inclusive Transition, Education & Employment is seeking applications from behavioral health agencies that hire post-graduate trainees (qualified treatment trainees) in social work (APSW), marriage and family therapy (MFT-IT), and counseling (LPC-IT) for qualified treatment trainee programs. Learn more about this grant opportunity here. Applications are due September 26, 2025.
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