Behavorial Health Initiative Action Team
Action Team Goal
The Suicide Prevention Action Team is working to assess the network of suicide prevention services and community supports in the region, identify gaps in the network and alleviate them, and promote social norms that support mental health and reduce deaths by suicide.
Targeted Problem
There is not sufficient access to crisis services in the region to prevent deaths by suicide. Additionally, there is not a sufficient network of formal & informal community supports to prevent a mental health crisis from occurring in the first place. Many residents lack mental health awareness, which contributes to these challenges.
Our Collective Work
To address this problem, the Suicide Prevention Action Team has assessed mental health and suicide prevention awareness in the region through a community assessment and recommended actions to reduce deaths by suicide in the region. See below for the resources and tools developed by this team.
Assessing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Awareness
Developed and distributed a a community assessment to evaluate knowledge of and access to suicide prevention services in the region, based on the Public Perception of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Survey by The Harris Poll.
Recommending Actions to Reduce Deaths by Suicide
Developed preliminary recommendations about how to reduce deaths by suicide in the region based off the results of the Mental Health Awareness & Suicide Prevention Community Assessment.
Action Team Members
Since November 2022, 11 stakeholders in the NW MI region have been engaged in the work of this Action Team.
Leader
- Angela Linsenman – Veterans Affairs
Members
- Kelly Bedford – Munson Behavioral Health
- Lisa Clavier – Kiersten’s Ride
- Christina Eickenroth – Munson Healthcare
- Emily Friske – Northern Lakes CMH
- Genevieve Groover – Michigan Center for Rural Health
- Megan Heethuis – DHHS
- Lorelei Hunt – DHHS
- Matt Peschel – Leeland Public School
- Myra Tetteh – Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation
- Stephanie Williams – Munson Healthcare
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SUPPORT OUR WORK?
- Advocate for the expansion of mental health services across the region.
- Educate the youth you know about how to access mental health services and what to do in case of a mental health crisis.
- Support Mental Health Awareness training in your organization and community.
