Feature Article
SPRC conferences at a glance
What are they?
Regional conferences for suicide prevention training.
Whom are they for?
State government officials; state legislators; state, tribal, and com-munity leaders represen-ting academia, agencies on aging, business, child protective services, con-sumers, education, faith groups, grassroots advo-cacy, health, juvenile justice, law enforcement, mental health, public health and suicide survivors.
Who sponsors them?
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) in Newton, Mass.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
What is their mission?
To provide a tailored training opportunity to stakeholders and advocates in each U.S. public health sector region, state, tribe and territory, so that these stakeholders and advocates will participate as leaders and workers in effective collaborations for suicide prevention across the lifespan.
What are their goals?
• To provide opportunities to share evidence-based practices and experiences in suicide prevention planning, program implementation and evaluation
• To build capacity for planning, implementation and evaluation of prevention programs
• To strengthen relationships among members within collaborations that will be instrumental in sustaining their effectiveness well into the future
• To facilitate networking among participants from different states
What is their significance?
These conferences are part of a broader capacity-building effort for suicide prevention in the United States.
How will they be evaluated?
By both participants and by SPRC, with the goal of suggesting means to improve the effectiveness of the conferences. Also SPRC asks each state delegation to set two specific goals for the conference prior to attending, and to assess progress at the conference conclusion.
What are next steps for states after they attend?
To establish two goals for the six months following the conference. SPRC will contact a sampling of attendees from each delegation for their assessment of progress at the end of this six-month period.
