Experts and Stakeholders Gather to Address Suicide Prevention in
Colorado—A Critical Public Health Problem
February 11, 2008—Denver—In an effort to continue
statewide and national efforts to
impact the high suicide rate in Colorado, the Bridging the
Divide:
Suicide Awareness and Prevention Summit will be held Monday,
May 19
through Thursday, May 22, at Regis University in Denver.
Jarrod Hindman, manager of the Office of Suicide Prevention
which is based at the Colorado Department of Public Health
and
Environment, said, “The mission of this exciting and
innovative
conference is to bridge the gap among disciplines and
resources to
create a united front of stakeholders addressing this
critical public
health problem.” Hindman said Colorado currently has the
sixth highest suicide rate in
the country, and more Coloradans die each year by suicide
than in motor
vehicle crashes or by homicide.
“Bridging the Divide will bring together the best minds
and most
passionate advocates for suicide prevention. Anyone
interested in
suicide prevention will gain knowledge and skills to
implement
meaningful suicide prevention activities in their community,
while
adding to the national dialogue and progress of a
significant public
health issue.” To register or to find more information
about the conference, including
how to submit an abstract for presentation or to nominate a
leader in
suicide prevention for an award, Hindman referred
individuals to either the conference Web site at
www.suicidepreventionsummit.com/index.html, or to the
Office
of Suicide Prevention at 303.692.2539. Hindman said
keynote speakers will include renowned suicide prevention
experts such as Dr. Thomas Joiner, author of Why People Die
by
Suicide; Dr. Paul Quinnett, founder of Question Persuade,
Refer
Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Program; Dr. Peter Gutierrez,
president of
the American Association of Suicidology and Denver resident;
and Dr.
Silvia Cannetto, researcher on gender and suicide at
Colorado State
University.
Conference coordinators include Regis University, the
Carson J. Spencer
Foundation, the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention and
the Suicide
Prevention Coalition of Colorado.
Ten years after the Governor’s Suicide Prevention
Advisory
Commission released the State of Colorado Suicide Prevention
and
Intervention Plan, Colorado has taken great strides in
advancing suicide
prevention efforts throughout Colorado. From the creation of
the Office
of Suicide Prevention at the Colorado Department of Public
Health and
Environment in 2000, to Colorado foundations and local,
grassroots
agencies taking on the task of reducing the number of
suicide deaths in
Colorado, to Colorado suicide prevention efforts being
recognized and
modeled nationally, great progress has been made.
“Suicide prevention is everyone’s business. There is hope
and help, and it is always ok to ask for help,” said
Hindman. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please
call the 24-hour suicide
prevention
lifeline at 1.800.273.8255. --30-- |
