In collaboration with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, researchers and clinicians from the Michigan Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Emergency Services, and the University of Michigan School of Social Work have partnered to enhance the availability of suicide prevention best practices in communities across the state. Funded by the Transforming Youth Suicide Prevention in Michigan-3 SAMHSA grant program (2019 through 2024), these efforts include enhanced training in suicide prevention skills for Michigan’s Child Welfare workforce and the development of Michigan’s Youth Suicide Prevention Emergency Department Network.
The Youth Suicide Prevention Emergency Department Network is led by clinical associate professor of psychiatry Dr. Cynthia Ewell Foster and a Technical Assistance Center housed within Michigan Medicine's Psychiatric Emergency Services (including Dr. Victor Hong; John Kettley, LMSW; David Barbour, MSW; Tayla Smith, MPH; and Seth Finkelstein). The network includes training, technical assistance, and a community of practice focused on improving care for youth seeking suicide-related care in emergency departments across the state.
"Disseminating best-practice suicide prevention strategies within emergency departments across Michigan is one component of this grant," says Cynthia Ewell Foster, Ph.D. "It’s wonderful to see the generosity of our team at Michigan Medicine sharing their expertise with other emergency departments across the state while also using this opportunity to improve our own care at Michigan Medicine."
Related press release of an initiative supported in part by this grant: Turning a psychiatric crisis into a chance to prevent firearm injury
See also:
- Predictors of Parent Behavioral Engagement in Youth Suicide Discharge Recommendations: Implications for Family‑Centered Crisis Interventions, published in Child Psychiatry & Human Development
- Worsening Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep Problems in Caregivers Following Youth’s Suicide-Related Emergency Department Visit, published in Archives of Suicide Research
- 13 Reasons Why: Viewing Patterns and Perceived Impact Among Youths at Risk of Suicide, published in Psychiatric Services
- Suicide Prevention Training in the Child Welfare Workforce: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Patterns Prior to and Following safeTALK Training, published in Child Welfare
