NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As
we head into National Suicide Prevention Week (September 5-11), the largest suicide prevention
organization in the United States,
the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, launches the next
phase of Project 2025. Project 2025 is a high-impact, collaborative
initiative developed by AFSP, aimed at the organization's bold goal
of reducing the annual suicide rate 20 percent by 2025. Using a
dynamic systems model designed for AFSP by CALIBRE Systems and
input from a national advisory council of experts in the field,
AFSP has determined three critical areas our country needs to
invest in to have the greatest impact for suicide prevention and
the potential to save thousands of lives within the next 10 years:
(1) firearms and suicide prevention, (2) large healthcare systems,
and (3) emergency departments.
"As the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, suicide does not get the
attention it deserves. For years there has been a gap between what
the research tells us works in preventing suicide and what actually
happens in healthcare settings and communities across the country,"
said AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia. "This phase of Project 2025
gives us a clear and focused prescription of how to reduce the
suicide rate. As a country, we need to invest in what we know
works. We know we can't do this alone. This will require an all-out
effort from leaders across all industry sectors and communities
nationwide. Together, we will save thousands of lives."
From the model built for Project 2025, AFSP shares examples of
how many lives could be saved at a national level if we scaled up
and made strategic investments, and applied the collective
resources necessary to support these prevention areas over the next
10 years.
Critical Area # 1 – Firearms and Suicide Prevention = Save
9,500 Lives
At the National level, if 50 percent of all
individuals who purchase a Firearm are exposed to suicide
prevention education (assuming just 20 percent effectiveness of the
education), we can expect an estimated 9,500 lives saved through
2025.
Critical Area # 2 – Large Healthcare Systems = Save 9,200
Lives
If we do a better job of identifying people who are at
risk in Large Healthcare Systems (such as during a primary
care visit), provide them with a short-term intervention and
include better follow-up care, we can expect an estimated 9,200
lives saved through 2025. In the area of large healthcare systems,
expanding the use of the Zero Suicide approach also shows promise
for reducing suicides among those seen in large healthcare systems.
By fully integrating suicide prevention across a healthcare system,
patients at risk for suicide would be identified and appropriately
cared for without falling through the cracks.
Critical Area # 3 – Emergency Departments = Save 1,100
Lives
If we do a better job of identifying people at risk
for suicide (through screening) in Emergency Departments,
and providing them with a short-term intervention like Safety
Planning and include better follow-up care, we can expect to save
an estimated 1,100 lives through 2025.
Based on these findings, AFSP intends to collaborate with other
organizations, accrediting bodies and professional associations as
well as leaders in other industry sectors, to implement specific
strategies for reducing the rate of suicide, and focus its
prevention efforts on the kinds of programs, policies and
interventions that will save the most lives in the shortest amount
of time.
AFSP has begun this work already by funding research studies in
these three areas, and forming a partnership with the National
Sports Shooting Foundation to build and implement public education
resources for firearms retailers, shooting ranges and the
firearms-owning community to raise the awareness of suicide
prevention and firearms. All 85 AFSP local chapters will have a key
role to play based on current programs and policy priorities at the
state level.
Project 2025 was funded, in large part, by general funds
collected by AFSP volunteers from local walks nationwide. AFSP
organizes nearly 400 local community walks to raise money and
awareness for suicide prevention annually. It was through these Out
of the Darkness walks that AFSP was able to support such a
large-scale national initiative. To get involved locally, find a
walk happening near you: http://afsp.org/walks.
More about Project 2025
Launched in October 2015, Project 2025 is a high-impact,
collaborative initiative developed by AFSP, aimed at the
organization's bold goal of reducing the annual suicide rate 20
percent by 2025. Using a dynamic systems model approach based on
what the evidence tells us about suicide, AFSP has determined a
series of actions and critical areas to help us reach our goal.
With this approach we reach across all demographic and sociological
groups to have the greatest impact for suicide prevention and the
potential to save thousands of lives within the next 10 years. If
we work collectively to expand the above interventions by key area
(Firearms, Emergency Departments, and in Large Healthcare Systems)
– cumulatively, we can expect to save nearly 20,000 lives through
2025.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is
dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by
suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health
through education and community programs, develops suicide
prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for
those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia
and headquartered in New York,
and with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local
chapters in all 50 states with programs and events
nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual
Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by
following AFSP on Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, and
YouTube.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401383
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nations-largest-suicide-prevention-organization-releases-three-investment-opportunities-that-will-reduce-suicide-rate-20-percent-300318454.html
SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention