Centerstone joined the Zero Suicide in Health and Behavioral Health Care initiative in 2012 and is actively helping to lead pioneering efforts related to the cause on local, national and global fronts.
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention defines Zero Suicide as “a commitment to suicide prevention in health and behavioral health care systems, and also a specific set of tools and strategies.” Its proposition is that suicide deaths among those under care are preventable, and that zero suicides should be the goal of health systems. Zero Suicide brings a systematic approach to suicide prevention while closing gaps in patient care.
At Centerstone, in accordance with the Zero Suicide in Health and Behavioral Health Care initiative, suicide prevention measures are “baked into” the roles of staff at all levels and across the continuum of care. These measures include:
- Implementing best practices around screening/assessing for suicide risk;
- Counseling on access to lethal means;
- Development of crisis management plans;
- Increasing the frequency of treatment;
- Monitoring those identified as high risk for suicide.
Efforts have also involved engaging the broader community, especially suicide attempt survivors, family members, policymakers and researchers.
Becky Stoll, Centerstone’s vice president of crisis and disaster management, has participated as a faculty member for the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s Zero Academies across the U.S. and has attended a White House briefing on “building partnerships for suicide prevention.” She also presented at the first international gathering of organizations committed to Zero Suicide in Health and Behavioral Health Care in Oxford, England, as well as the second gathering in Vancouver, Canada.
“We want to see no one in our care taken by their own hand, and we are grateful, at Centerstone, to be involved with the Zero Suicide in Health and Behavioral Health Care initiative,” said Stoll.
ZERO SUICIDE RESOURCES
For more information about Zero Suicide:
- What Is Zero Suicide?
- Zero Suicide Toolkit
- “Destination Zero” (Integrated Healthcare Delivery article)
Help support Suicide Prevention efforts by giving today.
MORE ABOUT OUR EXPERTS
Becky Stoll, LCSW, is Centerstone’s Vice President of Crisis & Disaster Management and a respected industry leader in crisis services, disaster mental health and suicide prevention. She has provided training, consultation and response nationally and internationally to airlines, banks, educational institutions, emergency response organizations and professional sports teams. She is a board certified expert in traumatic stress and a certified employee assistance professional.
