Zero Suicide Initiative to Deliver Solid Rewards to Newport County

If you were to Google Zero Suicide, chances are you would come up with a plethora of articles and descriptions about the initiative that has swept through many towns and cities in the U.S. and internationally. Articles with phrases like ambitious, extraordinary, remarkable. One article, entitled “Zero Suicide, the Dogged Pursuit of Perfection in Health Care” expounds on the “extraordinary” results from the Zero Suicide initiative, where providers have recorded an 80 percent reduction in suicide rates in places where it is implemented. 

Why is this information important for Newport County and why now? 

The latter is obvious enough with the COVID-19 pandemic and the added stress it has added to our lives. Data from the National Institute of Health shows that increases in the suicide rates rise alongside jumps in unemployment. Unemployment during the pandemic was 10.2 percent for July 2020 compared to 3.5 for the same month in 2019. 

One under- publicized fact about our area: According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Newport County has the highest suicide rate in the state and one that is higher than the national rate. Newport County has a suicide rate of 14.4 per 100,000 individuals compared to the national 13.42 per 100,000. In addition, Newport’s 2016 suicide rate was almost double its 2012 rate of 7.24 per 100,000. 

Here is where the Zero Suicide initiative steps in. Zero Suicide is soon to be implemented in Newport County as part of Newport Mental Health’s $800,000 Zero Suicide Initiative funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA). As one of the main goals of the newly formed partner network known as No Wrong Door, Newport Mental Health and other leaders are projecting similar results for this area. Moreover, the Zero Suicide initiative does not involve costly installation of bridge netting, one measure being proposed to reduce suicide rates in this area. 

Zero Suicide in Newport County does involve interagency collaboration and what some experts term “a community culture determined to learn together and make a difference”. Newport Mental Health, the Women’s Resource Center, CODAC, Newport Hospital and East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP), are joining forces to implement the Zero Suicide initiative. 

While the term Zero Suicide could cause some cynics to wince in disbelief, it has yielded astonishing results in Michigan, Nevada, Colorado, and New York, to name a few, where the numbers of suicides has sharply dropped. 

What makes this program any different than any other suicide programs and not a vacuous pie-in-the-sky pipedream? 

It begins with rigorous adherence to a systemized approach to identifying and treating suicide for those who may be contemplating suicide or have attempted suicide. Often healthcare providers fall short regarding patient tracking, and consequently many emotionally vulnerable individuals are left on their own. For example, someone who goes to a hospital and is talking about suicide could be released only on condition that the person promises to see a mental health professional. Consider that the person never sees a professional, goes home, and suicidal thoughts get worse and an actual attempt is made. The person ends up back in the Emergency Room or worse. 

This type of situation occurs throughout various points of a person’s contact with various agencies and providers. According to Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, about half of U.S. patients receive any outpatient care during the first week after a psychiatric hospital discharge and one third receive no mental health care during the first month. 

The way that Zero Suicide differs is that providers and agencies provide direct and concentrated care to individual patients for an extended period, sometimes up to a year. Professionals begin by using the highly regarded Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Patients who visit a hospital who are talking of suicide, for example, may score high on the Columbia Scale. The patient would then be closely monitored and repeatedly contacted to make sure appointments with mental health professionals are made. The Zero Suicide also implements scientifically proven therapies for suicidal behavior and trains all staff on screening and therapeutic methods to ensure healthcare staff among the agencies follow patient progress throughout the continuum of their recovery. 

Another component of Zero Suicide is the creation of plans for safety, which have been shown to reduce suicide by 50 percent. The written plan involves the patient and professional answering ways the person could avoid a similar suicidal situation. The patient answers potential warning signs, thoughts and moods that a possible crisis is developing along with ways to mitigate the potential crisis, such as specific coping skills, people and professionals to ask for help, and making their environment safe. 

Lastly, Zero Suicide studies have shown that in the behavioral health milieu, direct and rigorous treatment of suicide is the most effective treatment we can do, with an efficacy rate shown to be more effective than statins are for the prevention of heart disease. As this relatively recent initiative takes hold, experts are vouching that Zero Suicide will become the standard practice throughout the entire U.S. Newport Mental Health is excited to be leading a team of professionals from our partner agencies to bring the most cutting edge suicide reduction program in the nation to Newport County. 

If you or a loved one has mentioned suicide, please contact the national Suicide hotline, 1-800-273-8255, or Rhode Island’s BHLink at 401-414-5465.