FRESNO COUNTY SUICIDE PREVENTION COLLABORATIVE
Meeting Notes
September 1, 2017 ▪ 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Sierra Building Auditorium ▪ 1925 E. Dakota Ave, Fresno, CA 92726
AGENDA ITEM / DISCUSSION / ACTIONCall to Order / 10:00 AM
1.Welcome & Introductions– / All welcomed and each person introduced themselves. Lynne Ashbeck (spelling?) did the intros.
Attendees / Sign in sheet on file.
2. Strategic Plan Update – Dr. DeQuincy Lezine / Contact survey
Purpose: to get greater stakeholder input into the strategic planning process.
Comprehensive stakeholder & community survey
Purpose: to get input on community needs and practices, preferences and more Fresno-County specific info on risk practices as well as info on specific strategies that might be appropriate locally. Exact distribution times TBD.
- Three different versions: extended, main option, short version. Short gives options to answer additional information later if they want.
- Perceptions section – looks at stigma plus components of stigma.
- Said survey can be used to measure progress on some indicators over time (re-administer it)
- Based on their occupation, will be asked different questions. Not everybody gets asked all the same questions. Good for tailored feedback.
- Idea: track where people are well served (strengths) and where they aren’t (weaknesses). Can be used later to decide where to focus resources.
- Why called wellness survey? DQ – pragmatic reason, short title fits on smartphone screen; also, want to broaden beyond just “suicide”
- Who share with? As many as possible: employees, friends, family, volunteers, organization participants, anybody you can think of. Get it on websites, Facebook, etc.
- What will data be used for? – getting specific community recommendations into SPP; track info over time (such as stigma level)
- Let people know: is time consuming, there is a little bit of commitment involved. Average time: maybe 15 minutes.
NOTE: Survey still available at fresnocares.org. (Q: Is there an end time?). Could link this to all your social media accounts. Good way to spread it. Let people know: This is NOT a county website.
Fresno County will be working with interpreters to get survey translated to Spanish and Hmong. NOTE: has been completed
The link will be available on the Fresno Cares Website as well as the Fresno Cares Facebook. We will also be emailing the link to the survey out to the Fresno County Suicide Collaborative.
The survey will be available throughout the month of September. Everyone is encouraged to take the survey, the more responses the better.
3. National Suicide Prevention Week – Noah Whitaker / Suicide Prevention Week Proclamation - Sept. 12; 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM; Board of Supervisors Meeting; Fresno County Hall of Records
Activity Inventory
Can be anything related to mental health – can be regular work or activities.
- Please use the form on the website to list any and all events/trainings that will be taking place.
- Idea is to know/learn from what others are doing. Way to communicate/share with others what you are doing. Will help/inform them.
Resource Materials (posters, brochures, and tent cards)
- Use #BeThe1Toto send positive messages on social media.
4. Outreach and Communication / Targeted Approach for Middle Aged Males Presentation – Stan Collins
Also, EMM suicide prevention resources toolkit (includes Know the Signs info).
- #BeThe1To is the hashtag to focus on to link to other organizations/resources – will link to state, county, nationwide efforts.
- Be careful about messages that put out about suicide: highlight how many calls are made to SP hotline, how many people are seeking help/involved in trying to help: send more positive messages (helps those who may be suicidal to not feel alienated/despairing).
- Can embed all this in your regular website.
- Noted coaster/coffee sleeve campaign for SP Week
- Middle aged men strategy – why important? Because: death-by-suicide rates increase by age. Youth actually a “very small portion” of the total number of suicide deaths (but youth have highest number of attempts).
- Men – are 19 percent of middle aged years, but are 40 percent of the suicides –disproportionately affected, but often not thought of much (considered powerful/dominant maybe?)
- Hard to reach – anger, aggression, irritability are often the manifestations of depression for guy, therefore there are harder to sympathize with
- Typically choose more lethal means (guns) – often have access; women have higher number of attempts
- Risk factors for middle aged men – criminal justice involvement; previous attempts; social/cultural factors that impede men specifically – pressure to not show weakness, always portray strength, don’t ask for help
- Recklessness can be an indicator – breakups, job/financial losses.
- Protective factors – what keeps somebody from going through with suicide attempt vs. just thinking about it? We’ve been convincing people not to die; rather, need to convince people of reasons to live
- Keep people away from guns!!!! Gun shop posters
- Myths out there about which groups have highest risk
- Occupational related factors- season layoffs; tough guy culture; financial setbacks (2008 crash); physical jobs that produce chronic pain injuries (also correlates with lower education level – i.e. harder to switch careers)
- Firearms a focal point in terms of access, lethality of method
- 11 commandments of firearm safety (out of New Hampshire) – 11th relates to firearm safety
- How to engage middle aged men? Will require taking on a number of attacks – could be workplace training, many other things too.
- Mantherapy.org – website – comedian- Ron Burgundy type of man-child; clichéd version of a man, but it often works. This will be considered as an endorsement in the SPP plan.
- ASIST Training for Trainers (T4T) - Sacramento
- QPR Training for the Community – Oct 16; 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
5. FresnoCares Website / and other social media (Facebook) _ Brian Bishop – includes links to work group agendas (some of them). Groups need to send goals and objectives to Brian so he can get them on the website. Directing Change student videos on there. State/national resources.
6. Work Group: goals & objectives, activity updates, upcoming meetings and open discussion / Data: Sept. 8; 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM; Location TBD
Communication: Sept. 22; 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM; Sierra Building Auditorium
- Connected with media; Dawan and DeQuincy did an interview with Channel 24.
Justice: Sept. 8; 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM; Location TBD
- Requesting a flow chart/mapping of crisis services
- Gathering forms
7. Suggested Topics for Future Collaborative Meetings / Assessment: C-SSRC Training Session; etc. (Oct. 6)
Mapping of systems
NextCollaborative Meeting / Next meeting will be October 6, 2016 from 10 AM to 12 Noon in the Sierra Building.
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