The Weekly Spark - SPRC

The Weekly Spark June 6, 2014  Read this newsletter on the web Announcements Job opportunity: Research Associate II at SPRC SPRC seeks a full-time Research Associate II to manage the submission and review process for SPRC's Best Practices Registry and to support the research and evaluation efforts of suicide prevention stakeholder organizations. Applications accepted until position is filled. Twitter chat on men and depression To learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatments for depression in men, please join the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for a Twitter chat with Matthew Rudorfer, chief of the NIMH Somatic Treatments Program. Use #NIMHchats on June 10, 2-3 p.m. ET. 15th Annual European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behavior "Suicide prevention is mental health promotion" is the theme of this year'sevent, at which researchers, clinicians, and volunteers will share experiences and recent achievements. The symposium will be held in Tallinn, Estonia, August 27-30. Tips & Hints Accessing the Weekly Spark online Visit the SPRC website to view full news and research details Director's Corner A Decade of Service   by Jerry Reed  On June 3, 2014, Senator Gordon H. Smith stepped down as the private sector co-chair of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a position he has held since the Action Alliance's launch on World Suicide Prevention Day 2010. I would like to use this opportunity to acknowledge his four years of leadership at the helm of the Action Alliance and his ten years of service to the cause of suicide prevention. Read more  Suicide and Older Adults In this webinar, presenter Kim Van Orden, practicing clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will present the latest research on the epidemiology and public health significance of late-life suicide. She will provide an overview of risk and protective factors and models for integrating these factors, and will conclude with what is known about how to intervene to prevent late-life suicide. Wednesday, June 11, 2-3 p.m., followed by an online discussion forum 3-3:30 p.m. State News Oregon Youth suicide: Gaining traction in treating mental illness National Public Radio Thanks to state legislation passed earlier this year, Oregon has strengthened its youth suicide prevention efforts. Oregon now employs two statewide youth suicide prevention coordinators; one will continue to focus on prevention, while the other addresses the state's services for youth in crisis. For the first time, Oregon is requiring data to be collected and reported annually on youth suicides and attempts, and the legislature plans to review the state's updated youth suicide prevention plan every five years. Community partners in two counties, Linn and Benton, have formed a coalition that is taking the initiative to reach struggling youth at a local level. "We all, as agencies, do our thing but we need to start doing our thing as shared partners in a larger, seamless system," said Caroline Fisher, chief of child psychiatry for Samaritan Health Services and one of the organizers of the coalition. Representatives from more than 40 agencies are participating; meanwhile, two school districts in the area have formed an anti-suicide task force to share prevention resources, increase the availability of school counseling, and organize awareness events. School staff members are receiving Youth Mental Health First Aid training, and one school has initiated a pilot program to screen seventh-graders for depression. Spark Extra! Check out these youth suicide prevention school-based guide checklists, developed at the University of South Florida.      e-mail us

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