The Institute for Family Health and Ellenville Regional Hospital Join Coalition to Drive Down Suicide Rates Across Healthcare Systems

The Institute for Family Health and Ellenville Regional Hospital announced that they are joining healthcare organizations and systems across the country to make suicide prevention a priority. The “Zero Suicide” approach, a project of the Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, is a national effort to establish suicide prevention and intervention as core components of primary health care. Providers and programs in the alliance pledge to implement strategies to improve suicide prevention, and ultimately save lives. The Institute and Ellenville Regional are the first health center and hospital in the state, respectively, to take the Zero Suicide pledge.

Research shows that 25-60% of people contemplating suicide seek attention for a medical problem in the weeks before death, and yet as many as 81% do not seek prior psychiatric help. Such evidence speaks to the need for health systems to help identify and monitor individuals at risk for suicide in primary care settings.

“Suicide is preventable when the right resources and services are in place,” said Dr. Virna Little, Senior Vice President, Psychosocial Services and Community Affairs. “The Institute has already provided suicide prevention training to nearly 1,000 staff members. As more staff are trained to spot the warning signs of suicide, we can connect more patients to care, and ultimately, save lives.”

Additional information about the initiative is available at www.zerosuicide.com.