Project Zero: Every One Matters

Improving response to and prevention of suicide in the Fox Valley region

Full Project Name:Project Zero: Every One MattersPrimary Community Organization:Winnebago County Public HealthPrimary Academic Partner:Stephen Hargarten, MD, MPHAward Amount:$316,760

Award Date

January2020

Project Duration:54 months

Project Description Narrative:

In the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin, suicide rates have increased 66% over the last decade. Suicide rates are highest among middle-age men, individuals in certain professions, veterans, and the LGBT community. Local health and behavioral health care systems lack the tools and capacity to properly manage patients who are at risk for suicide. In addition, nearly 50% of mental health care providers in the region feel they lack adequate training to manage suicidal patients.

Through this award, project partners aim to reduce the rate of suicide in the tri-county region by implementing a Zero Suicide framework to improve the ability of the health care systems beyond psychiatry, as well as and non-clinical systems, such as workplaces, to support individuals in crisis and prevent suicide.

Community partners: NEW Mental Health Connection's Zero Suicide Initiative, Samaritan Counseling Center, Zero Suicide Initiative, Ascension, ThedaCare, UW-Madison Division of Extension Winnebago County

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:

Expanded the Wisconsin Gun Shop Project through local implementation of Project Safeguard, which promotes safe storage at participating gun shops and offers education for gun retailers on the signs of suicide
Created a website dedicated to men’s mental health, Strong Minds 4 Men (SM4M), to provide men with an opportunity to seek help in a way that is the least threatening and most likely way they will engage with mental health and suicide prevention
Created two PSA videos targeting men age 35-50 and men over age 60 to highlight the SM4M resource and Project Safeguard addressing lethal means safety
Launched the Community Crisis Response Team (CCR Team) which pairs a county mental health professional with a city police officer and partnered with a second county to provide data analysis support for the co-responder model to provide valuable information on different models in a similar geographic area for an alternate response to mental health/suicide crisis
Created a suicide prevention action team based on the Community Suicide Prevention Framework to provide the necessary infrastructure to sustain suicide prevention work in the Tri-County area