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accessHealthNews.net
November 2021
Volume 8 | Issue No. 51
C
ontinuing their month-long series on suicide
prevention, the Missouri Behavioral Health
Council (MBHC) presented, "Zero Suicide
in Action" on September 15. The webinar
provided an overview of the Zero Suicide
initiative in Missouri and the responsibility of
health care providers to help prevent suicide
in at-risk patients. Zero Suicide is an aspirational
goal and top priority of the National
Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The
accompanying trainings and tools provide a
framework for systematic suicide prevention in
health care systems to fill in existing gaps.
"Patients are at risk for suicide and they're
falling through the cracks," said Michelle
Glowczwskie, MSW, LCSW, beginning the
presentation on a somber note. Glowczwskie,
director of telehealth home and community
services at Behavioral Health Response (BHR),
started as a crisis clinician more than 13 years
ago and has remained in the field since,
dedicated to suicide prevention.
"Suicide prevention is a core responsibility for
behavioral health care systems," Glowczwskie
said. "People at risk for suicide are being seen
in health care settings but often there's no
intervention for those risks. Comprehensive
approaches to suicide care are needed in
health care settings because many people
who are receiving health care are dying by
suicide."
According to Glowczwskie, in the year before
their death by suicide, 83% of people saw
a physical health care provider while only
29% saw a mental health professional. In a
month before their suicide, nearly half saw a
general provider and 30% saw a mental health
professional. In the week before their death
by suicide, 38% of patients saw a health care
provider.
While evidence-based suicide prevention care
has developed tremendously in the last 5-10
years, many trainings and approaches are still
not being used. The goal of Zero Suicide is to
identify people at risk and effectively intervene
and engage them in collaborative, supportive,
long-term treatment to prevent suicide. Zero
Suicide is not a treatment in and of itself, but a
continuous quality improvement (CQI) and a
dedication to intentionally creating a cultural
mindset of, "We can do better."
A Zero Suicide Institute survey identified two
main problems among clinicians contributing
to the gaps in suicide prevention: 39% of
clinicians reported they don't have the skills
to engage and assist at-risk patients, and 44%
reported they don't have the training.
According to Glowczwskie, providers often
don't begin the conversation because they
believe that patients will bring up if they're
feeling suicidal.
"Zero Suicide is
going to close the
gaps. It takes a
comprehensive
approach, and its
seven elements
are crucial to
improving care and
saving lives."
