ASIST Training-Newport News

Hampton/Newport News Community Services Boards will be hosting an ASIST training August 13 and 14. There are a LIMITED number of open spots. Although ASIST training can cost up to 250.00 per person, there is no cost to participate in this training.

Linda Major and Mary Begor will be facilitating. Time is 9am-5pm. Lunch on your own. Address: 300 Medical Drive, Hampton Virginia 23666 Contact: Mary Begor 757-788-0012 or email Mary at MaryB@hnncsb.org.

ASIST stands for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. This is an intensive two-day training devoted to development of suicide intervention, or suicide first aid, skills for all caregivers.

SPAN Briefing on Senior Suicide

Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPAN USA)in cooperation with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Representative Darlene Hooley (D-OR), and Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA) are briefing on:

Senior Suicide:
Understanding the Risk, Preventing the Tragedy

June 3, 2008
10:00am-11:00am
188 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Presenters:
•About Senior Suicide- Rates, Risk and Protective Factors, and Promising Studies
Yeates Conwell, MD, SPAN USA National Scientific Advisory Council and University of Rochester

•Creating and Implementing a Senior Suicide Prevention Plan
Mel Kohn, MD, Oregon Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology

•Turning Grief into Action, A Survivor of Suicide Story
Victoria Graham, Prince William County ACTS/Helpline

•Public Policy Opportunities to Reduce Senior Suicide
James K. Finley, National Association of Social Workers

From SPRC: Suicide Prevention in Rural Areas Webcast

Those of you involved in suicide prevention in rural areas may find this upcoming webcast informative and relevant.

Please plan to join the Federal Interagency Rural Behavioral Health Workgroup in collaboration with the Technical Assistance Partnership and the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention in our upcoming Webinar entitled, Bridging the Gap in Rural Communities: Accessing Behavioral Health Services Through Telehealth.

Date: Friday, May 30, 2008

Time: 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET (12:00–1:30p.m. CT, 11:00–12:30p.m. MT, 10:00–11:30a.m. PT, 7:00–8:30 a.m. Hawaii)

Children, youth, and families living in rural and frontier communities face significant disparities in access to quality behavioral health services. Presenters will share an innovative model for using telecommunications to reach children, youth, and families in rural Appalachia, Ohio, Kansas, and in other rural locations. Participants will learn about how technology is used for telepsychiatry, tele-psychotherapy, clinical supervision, case consultations, workforce development and management functions to enhance behavioral health services for children, youth, and their families. Challenges, opportunities, and considerations for the implementation of telehealth services will also be discussed. Telehealth processes hold great promise for rural and frontier communities working to improve access, acceptability, and availability of behavioral health services and supports. We want this event to be as interactive as possible, so please bring all your examples, considerations, and questions!

Presenters:
Steve Trout, Executive Director, Southern Consortium for Children, Athens, Ohio
Eve-Lynn Nelson, Assistant Director of the Kansas University Center for Telemedicine & Telehealth

Facilitator:
Joyce Sebian, Senior Policy Associate, National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health at Georgetown University and coordinator for SAMHSA National Rural Behavioral Health
Viewing Requirements:

Joining this event is easy and free! All you need is access to a phone and an internet connection.
Registration
Register today at: https://tapartnership.on.intercall.com/confmgr/event_register.jsp?eventId=65644
PLEASE NOTE THAT REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 24 HOURS BEFORE THE EVENT

If you are a first-time registrant, we recommend that you use the following guidelines for creating a username and password:

Username: firstname.lastname. For example, John Smith's username would be john.smith
Password: lastname.yearofbirth. For example, if Jane Smith were born in 1960, her password would be smith1960

Questions:
If you have any questions or concerns, contact Tiara Etheridge by e-mail at tetheridge@air.org or by phone at (202) 403-5932. You can also take a look at “TA Partnership Webinar Frequently-Asked Questions” located online at http://www.tapartnership.org/learning_opp/webinars_howto.asp .

"Community Action: What YOU can do to Stop Bullying Now!" webcast online

This webcast conducted on April 16, 2008, featured examples of state- and community-level campaigns that use Stop Bullying Now! (SBN!) resources.
Presenters, Captain Stephanie Bryn from HRSA and Dr. Susan Limber from the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, outlined how communities can put the resources to work locally.

The webcast also included a brief overview of the entire SBN! campaign <http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/index.asp> and its resources. To view the archived webcast, visit http://www.mchcom.com/archivedWebcastDetailNewInterface.asp?aeid=447.

The campaign resources are available for MCH agencies to distribute at no cost. To receive free SBN! DVD toolkits, activities guides, or other resources, contact Katie Reardon at Katie.reardon@widmeyer.com

Update: Fairfax County Renews Contract with CrisisLink

On April 28, 2008, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the County's FY09 budget, including $135,000 to help fund CrisisLink's 24/7 Crisis Hotlines . Fairfax County joins Arlington County and the City of Alexandria in continuing support so residents in crisis have somewhere to turn. Since 1969, thousands of highly trained, CrisisLink volunteers and staff have answered more than half a million crisis calls and responded to 25,000+ potential suicides.

"The strong, historical partnership between local governments--including Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria--and CrisisLink has saved precious lives and prevented tragedies every day year after year, and this partnership continues to provide our region's residents with a place to turn in their darkest hours, We are truly grateful to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, Arlington County Board, and Alexandria City Council for their support of the vital life-saving services CrisisLink provides to residents. " says CrisisLink Executive Director Carol Loftur-Thun.

"Last year, CrisisLink answered 27,532 calls from people in crisis," says Margaret Mathis, CrisisLink's Director of Hotline Services and Training. "Local jurisdictions' support is essential because they provide 50% of the funding for our 24/7 Crisis Hotlines, but our community's businesses, foundations and individuals have increasingly stepped up to support our services. With call volume up 78%--and youth calls up 227%--since FY04, we need more volunteers and funding than ever to meet the need, and we're truly grateful for our community's strong support."

FACT Conference on Prevention Family Violence

The Virginia Family and Children’s Trust Fund (FACT)
Conference on Community Collaboration In Preventing Family Violence

Date: Wednesday June 25, 2008
Time: 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Location: Richmond Convention Center
403 North 3rd Street-Richmond
Cost: $45 Registration online at http://fact.state.va.us/

The Agenda

8:30-9:30 Registration and Networking Building Breakfast with FACT Board Members

9:30-10:45 Breakout Sessions. Topics include: The Use and Regulations of Nonprofit Organizations in Virginia, Panel Discussion on Developing Funding Streams for all Size Organizations, Virginia Department of Health’s Stop It Now Initiative, Developing and Using Community Collaborations to Launch your Programs.

11:00-12:15 Breakout Sessions. Topics include: Board Development and Capacity Building, Building and Refining Effective Program Evaluations, Are Special Events Really Worth the Effort?, Family & Children’s Trust Fund and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Social Indicators Collaborative Project.

12:30-2:00 Community Collaboration and Volunteer Awards Luncheon. Keynote by Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marilyn B. Tavenner (Invited)

2:15-3:30 Breakout Sessions. Topics include: Preparing your Organization for Generational Changes and Succession Planning, Developing Hispanic Services that Address Family Violence, Family & Children’s Trust Fund Grant Writing Workshop, Creating and Sustaining Successful Public-Private Collaborations

LOW Cost Training for Your State or Regional Suicide Prevention Coalition

Several low cost sessions are available to be completed by September 2008.
Potential costs – fees to secure your local training site, printing of materials, meals/snacks.

What is this training?
Strategic Planning for Suicide Prevention: Core Competencies (SPSP) was developed by the American Association of Suicidology in partnership with the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. SPRC is now partnering with the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPAN USA) to disseminate the course.

Overall Goal
Participants will enhance their leadership and collaboration skills, and in line with The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, be able to collect and present suicide-related data and information; implement suicide prevention programs in their communities; and determine the effectiveness of programs they implement. Participants also will increase their comfort and ability to communicate effectively about suicide and suicide prevention.

Eight Training Modules to Choose From
• Module 1: Scope of the Problem – Definitions and Data
• Module 2: Taking a Public Health Approach to Prevention
• Module 3: Data and Decision-making
• Module 4: Doing What Works
• Module 5: Creating a Logic Model and a Framework for Evaluation
• Module 6: Action Planning
• Module 7: Working Together and Building Partnerships
• Module 8: Building and Maintaining a Coalition

How do I get training in my state/region?
• Visit www.spanusa.org/spsp
• Complete the training questionnaire
• Then SPAN USA or SPRC will follow-up with you to set training dates

Juvenile Justice Conference

Making a Difference in Juvenile Justice
Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice

Make plans now to attend this year's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Conference at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, June 19-20, 2008. Instead of focusing on cutting edge trends in juvenile justice research and practices, as we have in the past, this year's conference will provide in-depth training on every day challenges for those who work with youth.

Topics for this year's conference include:
Working with Highly Resistant Youth: Dr. Clifton Mitchell will provide attendees with strategies to manage today's population of youth who are resistant to behavioral intervention.

Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) in Virginia: This training on a national initiative with local success demonstrates how you can use existing resources to bring winning strategies to your community.

Ruby Payne's Bridges out of Poverty: Officer Darryl Hunter will provide a basic understanding of the nature of poverty to include some hidden rules and generational stories to help attendees deal with kids exhibiting risky behaviors due to their situational poverty.

Mental Health in the Juvenile Justice System: A national look at resources available for use in your communities that foster collaborative approaches to decriminalizing children in need of mental health services.

Attendees requiring overnight lodging should contact the Embassy Suites directly at (757) 827-8200 or (800) EMBASSY to make lodging arrangements.
Lodging arrangements may also be made online at www.hamptonroadsconventioncenter.embassysuites.com
Please mention or enter Group Code JJD to receive the conference rate of $75.00, plus tax. Reservations must be made by May 30, 2008.

Conference registration is $25 per day. A late fee of $15.00 will be charged for those payments not received before the conference.

For more information please contact Ashaki McNeil, DCJS, Program Analyst at
(804) 225-4329 or ashaki.mcneil@dcjs.virginia.gov or visit our website at www.dcjs.virginia.gov.

NASMHPD releases report highlighting vital role of crisis hotlines

Last week, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) released a new technical report entitled Suicide Prevention Efforts for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness: Roles for the State Mental Health Authority. This report, which was a collaborative effort between NASMHPD’s Medical Directors Council and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), highlights the important role that crisis hotlines can play in preventing suicide and specifically recommends that public mental health systems support and collaborate with crisis hotlines.

The public mental health system should support and collaborate with crisis hotlines to ensure individuals at risk for suicide, including those who have made a suicide attempt, can readily access high quality crisis support services.

The emphasis given to the important work of hotlines would not have been possible without the strong partnership shared between the Lifeline and NASMHPD. The workgroup meeting for this groundbreaking report, which took place in January 2007, included several Lifeline representatives, including members from the Lifeline’s Steering Committee and two subcommittees. Additionally, NASMPHD and SPRC allowed Lifeline’s Project Director, Dr. John Draper, to present before the workgroup on the vital role that crisis centers play in saving lives. As a result, the report includes a description of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline as well as a discussion of the SAMHSA-sponsored hotline evaluation studies published in the June 2007 issue of Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior.