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Preventing Suicide in Regions 7 and 8 Conference

October 28 - 30, 2003
Westminster, CO

Conference Summary

Geared towards state planning teams, this conference was organized by representatives from states in Public Health Service Regions 7 and 8, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (a funded activity of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), and the Office of Public Health and Science.

The specific goals of this conference were to:
a) Provide opportunities to share evidence-based practices and experiences in suicide prevention planning, program implementation, and evaluation;
b) Provide technical assistance for suicide prevention planning;
c) Build capacity for planning, implementation, and evaluation of suicide prevention programs; and
d) Strengthen relationships between members within collaborations that will be instrumental in sustaining their effectiveness well into the future.

These goals were achieved through plenary sessions, breakout sessions, state planning meetings, poster session, and networking opportunities. Some of the Nation's top scientists joined with regional and local experts to share their knowledge and experiences with participants. Sessions were presented on a wide range of suicide prevention topics.

Fifty presenters, representing diverse races and ethnicities, emphasized how states can effectively use data-driven decision making and evidence-based practices for planning and evaluation to most efficiently leverage suicide prevention resources. By reflecting on existing strengths of state coalitions, attendees devised strategies to move their state planning process forward.

Every state team reported at least 3 specific steps that their coalitions would undertake within the next six months to one year, marking a significant achievement of the conference.

Nearly 200 participants attended the conference from the two PHS regions, 100 of which were funded by the conference co-sponsors. Conference evaluations submitted by over 80% of the participants indicate that participants benefited greatly from the conference. Individual session evaluations are presently being summarized and will be available shortly.

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