ISU Institute of Rural Health Hosts Youth Suicide Prevention Series

Boise-The Idaho State University Institute of Rural Health will host a Youth Suicide Prevention Virtual Grand Rounds Series in May that will be broadcast to locations throughout Idaho. Each session will begin at 1 p.m. MST or noon PST.

The four-week series will be video-cast throughout Idaho. Speakers will cover topics on mental health and veterans, schools and suicide prevention, social marketing and juvenile justice.

The sessions will be broadcast to Boise, Twin Falls, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston. For details on broadcast locations, see below.            

The sessions are:

• May 7, “Supporting Mental Health for Veterans.” Our veterans often face mental health challenges when returning from combat. Stigma can prevent them from receiving mental health care, and even lead to suicide. This session will provide information on the experiences of veterans and how communities can support them. The presenters are Sue Hicks, MSW and John Toarch from the Boise Veterans Administration Medical Center.

• May 14, “Involving Schools in Youth Suicide Prevention.” Educators, parents and others are left with many questions following death by suicide in their community. This session will feature current research and national examples of how schools can become involved with suicide prevention and survivor support. Information will be presented by Marilyn Zimmerman, Director of Educational Research, University of Montana.

• May 21, “Social Marketing for Social Change.” Social Marketing is used to change a variety of health behaviors. This session will include highlights from national and local social marketing campaigns, along with tools for planning a campaign in your community. The presenter is Ann D. Kirkwood, MA, director of Better Todays, Better Tomorrows and the Idaho Youth Suicide Prevention Project, Idaho State University.

• May 28, “Question, Persuade and Refer for the Juvenile Justice System.” Many youth in the juvenile justice system are affected by mental health issues, placing some of them at risk for suicide. QPR, an evidence-informed youth suicide prevention program, was recently modified for juvenile justice workers in Texas. Join us for this presentation of the modified QPR program and learn how it can be applied to your organization. The presenter is Erin M. Espinosa, Program specialist for the Texas Juvenile Probation Division.

 Locations for the sessions are as follows:

• Pocatello: ISU campus, Vocational Arts Building, Room VA117
• Idaho Falls: ISU-Idaho Falls, 1770 Science Center Dr., Room CHE 303.
• Twin Falls: ISU-Twin Falls Center, Evergreen Building, Room C-91.
• Boise: ISU-Meridian, 12301 W. Explorer Dr., Suite 102, Room 141.
• Coeur d’Alene: Northern Idaho Center for Higher Education, 1000 W. Hubbard St., Suite 128.
• Lewiston: Lewis and Clark State College, corner of Fourth and Ninth Avenue, Sam Glenn Complex, Room 50. NOTE: May 7, 14, and 21 sessions will be in room Wittman 120.