Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP)

The Office of Suicide Prevention serves as the lead entity for suicide prevention and intervention efforts in Colorado, collaborating with communities statewide to reduce the number of suicide deaths and attempts in Colorado. In an attempt to broaden the reach and impact of state-level suicide prevention efforts, the office emphasizes using state funding to address strategic priority areas. These priority areas include funding local initiatives, supporting a statewide crisis line, increasing knowledge about suicide risk and prevention resources, training individuals to recognize and respond to suicidal crisis, and forming and leading collaborative partnerships at the state and local level.

OSP 2011-2012 Legislative Report

Program Activities

The Office of Suicide Prevention engages in the following activities with partners from around the state to address the primary prevention of suicide:

• Community grant making – 11 community grantees currently

• Support of Colorado’s two Suicide Prevention Lifeline call center’s – Metro Crisis Services and the Pueblo Suicide Prevention Center

• Support the implementation of Man Therapy in partnership with Cactus Marketing Communications and the Carson J Spencer Foundation

• Implement HB12-1140 – Suicide prevention and follow-up in Colorado hospitals

• Provide public education and awareness – materials, presentations, communication

• Partner with the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado

• Partner with the Colorado Department of Education and the School Safety Resource Center to host annual school-based symposia on suicide prevention, intervention and postvention

• Plan and support annual Bridging the Divide: Suicide Prevention and Intervention Summit

• Partner with the Colorado Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

• Partner internally with the Injury Prevention Program and Children’s Hospital on violence prevention through means restriction education and awareness

• Partner internally with the Injury Prevention Program on older adult falls and suicide prevention

• Partner with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing and the Colorado Department of Human Services on CDPHE Mental Health and Substance Abuse Winnable Battle. Priorities are pregnancy related depression and adult depression

Grantees

• Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County

• Aspen Hope Center, a project of Aspen Valley Medical Foundation

• Dynamic Family Design

• Jefferson Center for Mental Health

• Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center

• Pueblo Suicide Prevention Center

• Rural Solutions

• Samaritan Center of the Rockies, Speak Up Reach Out

• Suicide Prevention Partnership Pikes Peak Region