Bridging Research and Practice in Suicide Prevention

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• Bridging Research and Practice in Suicide
  Prevention
• Laurie Davidson, MA
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center
• July 14, 2008

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Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)

• SPRC provides prevention support, training, and
  resources to assist organizations and individuals
  to develop suicide prevention programs,
  interventions and policies, and to advance the
  National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
• SAMHSA suicide prevention grantees
• 55 campuses in 31 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

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www.sprc.org
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From Research

• Tells us
• What works
• What doesnt work
• What else we need to know

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From Research to Practice

• Real-world implementation of
• Programs
• Policies
• Activities
• Interventions
• How to do what works
• Implementation
• Sustainability

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What does sustainability mean?

• Ensure ongoing support for suicide prevention
• What are your overarching goals?
• What are the positive outcomes you want to
  maintain?
• What are the characteristics of program
  implementation that lead to sustainability?

• Other possible words
• Institutionalization - Routinization - Practice

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The Legacy Wheel
www.promoteprevent.org/legacywheel
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Leadership

• Vision
• The role of change agents
• How organizational change occurs
• Public health approach gtgtgt systems change

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Collaboration

• Project partners
• Sustainability partners
• Campus task force
• Community partners (local, state, national)

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Strategic Planning

• Leadership skill
• Data-driven (problem analysis, needs assessment)
• Establishes goals and desired outcomes
• Uses evidence-based strategies
• Gets key stakeholders on the same page (task
  force!)
• Evaluates effectiveness

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Capacity Building

• Leader
• Staff
• Partners
• Policies and procedures

Knowledge, skills, and abilities
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Communications Marketing

• Direct communications activities
• Communications/marketing essential to success of
  other program activities
• AND
• Communications/marketing
• of program successes

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Public Policy

• Formal groups that define priorities
• Mental health services
• Alcohol prevention
• Suicide prevention
• Legislation, regulation, internal funding
  priorities

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Evaluation

• Evidence your program activities are working
• Use evaluation data in marketing your efforts
• Different groups have different interests

Protective Factors
Risk Factors
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Financing

• Broad view of what it means to finance an
  activity
• Outside funding
• Institutionalize
• Community resources

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Leadership Collaboration Questions

• Is there a clear vision for suicide prevention?
• Does senior administration share your vision?
• Which decision-makers should be involved?
• Which potential partners have something you need?
• What problems are your efforts solving that are
  of interest to key stakeholders?
• How can strategic partners help you?

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Strategic Planning Questions

• Does your strategic plan convey your vision of
  change?
• What elements of your plan do you want to sustain?

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Capacity Building Questions

• Is capacity building focused on intended
  outcomes?
• Does capacity building consider all levels of
  intervention?
• Whose responsibility is capacity building?

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Communications Marketing Questions

• How can you use program successes to leverage
  long-term support?
• Who benefits from your program successes?

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Public Policy Questions

• Which policy-makers may be able to help with
  sustainability?
• How can you communicate with policy-makers?

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Evaluation Questions

• What problems are your efforts solving that are
  of interest to key stakeholders?
• What data could you collect now that would make
  the case for sustaining program activities?

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Financing Questions

• How can finance strategies other than grant
  funding sustain suicide prevention?
• What outside funding ideas can you generate?

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Resources

• I. Leadership
• Sustaining Comprehensive Community Initiatives-
  Key Elements for Success
• http//www.financeproject.org/Publications/sustain
  ing.pdf
• II. Strategic Planning
• Campus Health Safety Website (Links for all
  steps of planning- Campus Focused)
• http//www.campushealthandsafety.org/
• III. Partnerships Collaboration
• The Community Tool Box, Part B, Chapter 5,
  Section 6- Maintaining a Coalition
• http//ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/chapter_1010.htm

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Resources

• IV. Capacity Building
• Sustaining Community-Based Initiatives
  Developing Community Capacity
• http//www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid101ampCID
  148ampCatID148ampItemID10656ampNID20amp
  LanguageID0
• V. Communications Marketing
• The Community Tool Box, Chapter 45- Social
  Marketing of Successful Components of the
  Initiative.
• http//ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/chapter_1045.htm
• VI. Public Policy
• Institutionalizing Community-Based Prevention
  through Policy Change. Pentz, M.A. (2000).
  Journal of Community Psychology 28(3) 257-270.
  (Uses examples of policies and effects on Youth
  Drug Use)
• Full text not free online, must acquire from
  publisher

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Resources

• VII. Evaluation
• Evaluations Role in Supporting Initiative
  Sustainability.
• Harvard Graduate School of Education.
• http//www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/content/pubs/onlin
  epubs/sustainability/sustainability.pdf
• VIII. Financing
• Sustaining Comprehensive Community Initiatives-
  Key Elements for Success
• http//www.financeproject.org/Publications/sustain
  ing.pdf
• Sites/Email Alerts offering directories of
  additional funding sources
• The Foundation Center (http//fdncenter.org)
• ScienceWise Alert (www.usalert.com)
• Illinois Researcher Information Service
  (iris-alert_at_carousel.lis.uiuc.edu)

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Contact InformationLaurie Davidsonldavidson_at_ed
c.org617-618-2361

• www.sprc.org