Nebraska’s State Suicide Prevention Plan

Nebraska’s State Suicide Prevention Committee (NSSPC) embraces the aim and model proposed by the former United States Surgeon General, David Satcher, M.D., in the 2001 publication  National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action. The NSSPC enforces an open membership policy with a goal of promoting local, grassroots initiatives through the 2005-2006 Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Plan.

2005-2006 Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Plan

The Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Committee (NSSPC) has three subcommittees, Awareness, Intervention, and Methodology. The following is the 2005-2006 state plan as developed by these committees and approved by the overall NSSPC.

  AWARENESS

Promote Awareness that suicide is a preventable public health problem.

  • Disseminate information about resources and web sites available through faith based organization, service clubs, non profits, corporations and occupational health through private, public, and non-profit partners in the NSSPC and broader community

  • Continue to reach out to public/private schools and colleges with special emphasis to the age group of 10 - 24 by including them in NSSPC activities

  • Reach out to the elderly through Aging Services by the dissemination of educational materials on depression and suicide prevention

  • Provide State and Regional prevention programs with information about suicide prevention

  • Work with public health and Cooperative Extension to more fully involve youth organizations in suicide prevention activities.

  • Build on “ Project Relate” activities to reduce stigma associated with seeking help for mental health problems.   Engage local foundations to promote activities associated with mental illness awareness week, suicide prevention month, and mental health month

 Increase access to community linkages with MH/SA services:

        INTERVENTION

            Develop and implement suicide prevention programs

  • Empower organizations to seek American Association of Suicidology (AAS) national certification for crisis centers by encouraging Region 5 to educate the other Regions on the AAS Accreditation process

  • Encourage organizations to become networked under a single, toll-free telephone number, 1.800.SUICIDE (784-2433) through the Kristin Brooks National Hopeline Network

  • Put links to AAS and Hopeline Network on the DHHS Suicide Prevention website

  • Expand Suicide Prevention Curriculum (SPC) training to law enforcement officers and fire personnel to include mandated training of new officers and renewed information for veteran officers

  • Partner with the School Community Intervention Program (SCIP) at the Lincoln Medical Education Partnership to implement the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program to provide classroom suicide prevention education and depression screening

  • Implement the Emergency Department Means Restriction Education program to educate parents and problem solve with them about how to limit access to lethal means following an episode in which a child presents with increased risk of suicide.

  • Provide community-wide crisis management support (postvention education) for dealing with a loss as a result of suicide by implementing training through the LOSS program (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors)

    Develop and promote effective practices

  • Continue to promote the use of the Teen Screen program by medical facilities that serve youth

  • Continue use of Nebraska’s Green Line program for juvenile residential settings

  • Continue to update and distribute SPC via NEBHANDS website

       METHODOLOGY

     Promote and support research on suicide and suicide prevention  

  • Promote evaluation on the Green Line Program to support its inclusion as evidence based practice  

  • Promote University of Nebraska research on suicide prevention, and  Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) role in suicide prevention

Improve and expand surveillance systems

  • Encourage Public Health integration of Mental Health data on suicide attempts,  RegionalCenter admissions and Crisis Center admissions

For more information contact:

Dr. Blaine Shaffer (blaine.shaffer@nebraska.gov)
Division of Behavioral Health Services
Department of Health and Human Services
PO Box 95026
Lincoln NE  68509-5026
Phone:  (402) 471-7795

This page last updated:  10/19/10

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