On the Road to Suicide Prevention — Innovation in Risk Assessment: Improving Care Delivery and Redirecting Scarce Resources

On the Road to Suicide Prevention — Innovation in Risk Assessment: Improving Care Delivery and Redirecting Scarce Resources

Conference: 2013 Beyond the Basics in Suicide Prevention — Taking Science into Practice

Thursday, Mar 21, 2013
DoubleTree by Hilton, South Portland Workshop/Presentation: On the Road to Suicide Prevention — Innovation in Risk Assessment: Improving Care Delivery and Redirecting Scarce Resources
Kelly Posner, PhD

Prevention depends upon appropriate identification and screening. Dr. Posner discussed a gold-standard, innovative suicide risk screening tool. Numerous states, countries, and branches of the military have moved toward system-wide implementation. Due to its demonstrated ability to predict suicidal behavior and guidance for next steps (e.g., triggering referrals to mental health professionals), this screening tool positively impacts service utilization through decreasing unnecessary interventions, redirecting scarce resources, and expediting care delivery to those at highest risk. Adopted by the CDC, this screen is delivered by all gatekeepers, enabling blanket coverage and linking of systems, fostering prevention.