Why Suicide Prevention is Part of Population Health Strategy

Hospitals & Health Networks

The American Hospital Association has started an initiative to help hospitals address behavioral health, including a webpage of behavioral health resources. As a part of the effort, this article provides an overview of suicide data and information on the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the Henry Ford Health System Perfect Depression Care program, the Zero Suicide initiative, and the Joint Commission’s recent Sentinel Event Alert on preventing suicide in health care settings. Co-authors Paul B. Hofmann, president of the Hofmann Healthcare Group, and Jerry Reed, director of SPRC, also suggest steps that health care executives and providers can take to reduce suicide. These steps include using the resources on the Action Alliance’s website, screening patients for depression in primary care, referring people at risk for suicide to mental health providers and supporting them to stay in treatment, embedding the seven core components of Zero Suicide into health care systems, and addressing stress and burnout among physicians and nurses.

Spark Extra! Check out the American Hospital Association’s webpage of behavioral health resources.