New Mexico Department of Health

A public-private partnership led by the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) proposes to implement and evaluate a comprehensive model for suicide prevention and early intervention that incorporates eight Universal, Selective, and Indicated strategies. The proposed Initiative will serve four diverse rural communities that have experienced a rash of youth suicides, reflecting the State’s disproportionate rate which is twice the national average.The proposed initiative has seven specific objectives. 1. Signs of Suicide (SOS): Train high school teachers and staff to provide the Signs of Suicide education program to serve 850 youth per year; 2. Train approximately 25 high school students from each community per year to implement this peer strategy; 3. Refer students and community youth of high school age (grades 9-12) and screen at least 680 youth per year; 4. Provide ongoing case management to at least 170 youth identified as at risk to link them with appropriate behavioral health and social services; 5. Offer bi-weekly case consultation, support for crisis intervention, and ongoing in-service training by replicating the effective ECHO model that is based on telehealth technology; 6. Develop a Crisis Response Plan in each school that incorporates training, education, ongoing support, and postvention plans; 7. Provide more intensive 2-day gatekeeper training to at least 4-5 teachers, other school staff, parents, community behavioral health providers, and community advocates from each of the four communitie