While suicide is a significant public health problem in Utah, it is also preventable. Unfortunately, the problem is often addressed in silos, with different groups focusing on different parts of the problem. To more effectively reduce the rising rate of suicide, Utah’s public health officials brought together key partners: private companies, religious organizations, health care systems, and academics–and combined their knowledge and influence with the reach of a media campaign. This presentation will focus on the power of these partnerships, the collaborative development of a suicide prevention campaign, and the importance of evaluation.
Once participants have completed this session, they will be able to:
1) Present effective communication strategies for suicide prevention and how to use these strategies to build awareness for this critical public health issue; and,
2) Describe the role evaluation plays in suicide prevention activities and present findings from a statewide household survey issued in April 2020 measuring social norms surrounding mental health and suicide prevention.
