On average, one person dies by suicide
every 18 hours in the state of Iowa.
More than five times as many people died by suicide in Iowa in 2017 than
in alcohol related motor vehicle accidents.
The total deaths to suicide reflect a total of 10,127 years of potential
life lost (YPLL) before age 65. Suicide
cost Iowa a total of $441,111,000 combined lifetime medical and work loss cost
in 2010, or an average of $1,185,783 per suicide death. Suicide is the 9th leading cause
of death in Iowa. It is the 2nd
leading cause of death for ages 15-34, the 4th leading cause of death for ages
35-54, the 8th leading cause of death for ages 55-64, and the 17th leading
cause of death for ages 65 & older.
Based on most recent 2017 data from CDC. Learn more at
afsp.org/statistics.
Suicide
Prevention Programs and Initiatives
·
The Iowa
Department of Public Health (IDPH) suicide prevention program works with
stakeholders to provide information about signs and symptoms of depression and
suicide and develop suicide prevention strategies. IDPH also funds community
programs to identify youth who are most at risk for suicide and provide
assessment and referral for services. See https://bit.ly/2QXGarQ.
·
The Your Life
Iowa program provides 24/7 crisis services via phone (855-581-8111), text
(855-895-8398), and through the Live Chat feature on their site. The site also
includes a depression screening quiz, suicide warning signs, help for family
and friends, FAQs about suicide, and tips for practicing self-care. See
http://yourlifeiowa.org/suicide.
·
The Iowa Plan for
Suicide Prevention: 2015 to 2018 aims to reduce the annual number of deaths by
suicide by 10% by 2018, ultimately working towards zero deaths by suicide; see
https://bit.ly/2SKYlya.
·
SF 2113 (adopted
3/29/18) requires school districts to adopt protocols for suicide prevention
and Postvention, and requires all school personnel who have regular contact
with students in kindergarten through grade twelve to receive at least one hour
of evidence-based suicide prevention and Postvention training annually. The
training requirement must be established by all local school boards by July 1,
2019.
·
Iowa law (§
279.50) requires that the Department of Education identify and disseminate
information about early intervention programs for students who are at risk for
suicide.
The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition
partnered with the Van Buren County Community School District in 2018 and 2019
to help them develop a Suicide Prevention and Postvention Plan. The coalition has worked to promote the Your
Life Iowa website in Van Buren County.
The coalition has worked to educate community members on the need for
suicide prevention work in the county.
The coalition staff has participated in the Children’s Mental Health
& Wellbeing Collaborative since 2017 to help increase child/youth suicide
prevention work in Van Buren County.
Coalition staff have also begun to attend the South East Iowa Link
meetings to help increase adult suicide prevention work in Van Buren County.
Iowa Department of Public Health has funded this work through the Iowa
Partnership for Success Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (February 2015 - September 2019) and state substance
abuse prevention funds (September 2019 – June 2020).
Get Involved: The American Foundation
for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Iowa Chapter brings together people of all
backgrounds in communities throughout the state to fight suicide. They help
fund research, offer educational programs, advocate for public policy and
support those affected by suicide. For more information or to volunteer, please
contact: AFSP Iowa iowa@afsp.org
No comments:
Post a Comment