Destination Zero

Reducing suicide in Fond du Lac County

Full Project Name:Destination Zero: Reducing Suicide in Fond du Lac CountyPrimary Community Organization:Comprehensive Service Integration (CSI)/Fond du Lac School DistrictPrimary Academic Partner:Sara Kohlbeck, MPH, Comprehensive Injury Center; Stephen Hargarten, MD, Comprehensive Injury CenterAward Amount:$419,691

Award Date

January2018

Project Duration:36 months

Project Description Narrative:

Suicide remains a major public health issue. In 2015, 874 Wisconsinites died by suicide. Fond du Lac County's suicide rate has been higher than the Wisconsin rate, and this project aims to reduce suicide among all Fond du Lac residents with a targeted effort to reach men in the middle years. Project partners will implement policies and practices in health and behavioral health care organizations and select non-clinical settings to impact working-aged adults, especially middle-aged men, and reduce the rate of suicide and self-injury in Fond du Lac.

Community partners: Mental Health America of Wisconsin, Agnesian HealthCare, Envision Greater Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County Veterans Service Office, Fond du Lac County Department of Community Programs, Marian University

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:

Hosted two-day training with nearly 50 attendees representing 18 local organizations, including institutions of higher learning, school districts, county agencies, and direct care/support organizations. Evaluation results indicated that 93.3% of participants felt they had a better understanding of how to develop a comprehensive, system-wide approach to suicide care in their organization as a result of the training.