Feature Article
First Two SPRC Regional Conferences Move National Strategy Forward at State Level
About half the states in the nation gathered at two key training conferences in late 2003 to define or refine their state-based suicide prevention efforts and learn what strategies work well in neighboring states with similar characteristics.
The conferences were, Implementing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Collab-oration and Action Across the Nation.
Hosting these conferences – the first ever collaborative training meetings of their kind – was the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, or SPRC, one of the newest prevention entities in the country and funded by federal dollars to fulfill a goal of the 2001 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP).
“SPRC looks at (these) training (conferences) as workforce development,” notes Morton M. Silverman, M.D., senior adviser to SPRC.
David Litts, O.D., SPRC associate director, agrees.
“States can effectively plan, implement and evaluate suicide prevention initiatives that serve to advance the National Strategy. We’re there to help them do that,” says Litts, adding that care in the planning process can reap future rewards.
“We’re stressing the importance of careful planning,” adds Litts. “States have to gather background information, assess that information and carefully develop a plan – not just jump to things that come to mind first.”
States that have already developed suicide prevention plans can revise and refine those plans with what they learn at the SPRC regional conferences, according to Litts. Or they can gain assistance with implementation and evaluation of their plans, he adds. “Some states got started with youth only and now are broadening their scope to include the life course,” Litts says. “And in three states nothing regarding suicide prevention was going on before our conferences. Now they’re on their way to building coalitions and creating state plans. That’s great news.”
About SPRC
Founded in October 2002, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) supports suicide prevention with science, skills and practice. The center, based in Newton, Mass., provides technical assistance, training and information materials to strengthen suicide prevention networks and advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP), developed in 2001. Its establishment fulfills Goal 4.8 of the NSSP, which calls for the development of a technical assistance and resource center to build capacity for states and communities to implement and evaluate suicide prevention programs. SPRC is funded through a cooperative agreement between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), and partners with prevention organizations nationwide. For more about SPRC visit www.sprc.org.
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