A Task Force has been convened incorporating representatives from behavioral health, primary care, and geriatrics from across the VISN.  This group will help to plan VISN-wide educational efforts related to suicide prevention.  Feedback from persons who attended the VISN 4 MIRECC’s “Suicide Risk Identification and Prevention in Primary Care and Behavioral Healthcare Settings” conference suggested five primary areas of interest for follow-up education. 

• Attendees would like to examine practical issues in assessing and treating risk factors for suicide, such as depression;
   

• Participants wish to explore the impact of suicide attempts and completions on staff and families;
   

• They struggle with ethical and legal issues, including those related to malingering;
   

• Attendees would like to learn to use a brief suicide risk assessment tool;
   

• They would like guidance regarding system-level issues, such as the availability of an emergency service team for triaging and phone consultation, referral protocols, and access to computer information.

The first three requests have been addressed through the hands-on workshops offered by the MIRECC for providers in geriatrics and behavioral health and primary care (see Conferences).  To respond to these remaining concerns, the charge to the Task Force is two-fold:  

• Explore existing suicide risk assessment tools and identify/develop a tool relevant to the VA population; 
   

• Address system-level policy and procedural issues which impede optimal suicide prevention efforts.  This group will develop algorithms for risk assessment, treatment, and referrals.  Their ultimate goal will be to make recommendations for procedural standards that may be applied across the VISN.  

Contact Gretchen Haas for further information on the Suicide Prevention Task Force.

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