Project Summary:
The goal of the learning event is to examine how traumatic brain injury, ADHD, pain, and insomnia increase the risk for suicide, overdose, and alcohol-related deaths. In two of the three counties where adult suicide deaths were reviewed, approximately 60% of decedents saw a healthcare provider within three months of dying by suicide. The anticipated impact of these training sessions is a reduction in deaths of despair through increased awareness of warning signs, risk factors, and available resources in the communities.
This learning series aims to better equip physicians, nurses, social workers, behavioral health providers, and front-line staff with practical tools to understand the correlations between these risk factors and premature death. We seek to integrate clinical education, systems awareness, and lived-experience perspectives to aid in identifying risk, intervening earlier, and supporting resilience.
Learning objectives:
- Improved ability to recognize hidden risk factors
- Practical tools for patient conversations and early intervention
- Greater understanding of how brain injury, insomnia, ADHD, and pain intersect with substance use and suicide risk
- Renewed connection to the human impact of this work
The series content will help meet the goals of the learning series by:
- Directly addressing drivers of overdose, suicide, and alcohol-related deaths
- Combining evidence-based education with real-world lived experience
- Encouraging cross-system learning and connection
- Strengthening prevention, screening, and engagement skills
The Wisconsin-based health workforce audience that will attend the learning event includes the fields, organizations, and/or geographic areas represented: physicians, nurses, social workers, behavioral health providers, and front-line staff from across our three-county region-Calumet, Outagamie, and Winnebago counties. We will invite service providers from primary care, specialty clinics serving those with traumatic brain injuries, insomnia, and pain, as well as behavioral health providers and case managers.
Series Dates and Titles:
- September 3: Traumatic Brain Injury and Risk of Deaths of Despair
- September 15: ADHD, Executive Function, and Increased Risk
- September 30: Pain, Coping, and Alcohol-Related Harm
- October 15: When Sleep Becomes a Warning Sign: Insomnia, Overdose Risk, and Suicide Prevention
Community Partners: Winnebago County Health Department, ThedaCare, Inc., Wisconsin Medical Society, Veterans Administration, UW-Eau Claire