July-September 2024: Exploring Suicide Safer Care for Health Centers

Suicide rates have reached their highest recorded levels in recent years. As vital providers of primary care, community health centers (CHCs) can play a key role in addressing this public health crisis. Half of individuals who end their lives by suicide visit a primary care provider in the month before their passing, making these visits key opportunities to intervene.

Join a webinar series from the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved and our primary care association partners to learn evidence-based strategies to identify and intervene with patients at risk, to support clinicians and staff who may themselves be at risk, and to create a culture of Suicide Safer Care for all at CHCs.

Presenter:

  • Dr. Virna Little, PSyD, LCSW-r, SAP, CCM, Special Advisor for Advocacy and Research and Co-Founder of Concert Health, Chief Operations Officer and Co-Founder of Zero Overdose

Want to be informed about other upcoming webinars on suicide prevention in primary care and other topics in health equity? Join our mailing list!

Sessions Will Include:

Suicide Safer Care for Primary Care Providers and Their Teams: Wednesday, July 31: 3-4 p.m. ET

Learn a comprehensive approach to identifying and managing patients at risk for suicide in primary care settings.

Suicide: Considerations for Health Center Leaders: Wednesday, August 14: 3-4 p.m. ET

Learn how CHCs leaders can play vital roles in suicide prevention by creating systems that support patients and staff.

Preventing Suicide in Clinicians and Staff: Wednesday, August 28: 3-4 p.m. ET

Learn why healthcare professionals are more likely to end their lives by suicide and how organizations can help prevent staff suicide.

Suicide Safer Care for Behavioral Clinicians in Primary Care Settings: Wednesday, September 11: 3-4 p.m. ET

Understand specific steps and considerations in suicide prevention for behavioral health providers in primary care settings.

Office Hours: CHC Suicide Prevention: Wednesday, September 25: 3-4 p.m. ET

This highly interactive wrap-up Q&A will provide answers on clinical pathways, organizational culture, and much more.

Dr. Virna Little

Meet Our Speaker: Dr. Virna Little, PsyD, LCSW-r, SAP, CCM

Dr. Virna Little is currently the Co-Founder and Special Advisory for Advocacy and Research of Concert Health, a national organization providing behavioral health services to primary care providers and the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Zero Overdose, a nonprofit addressing the national crisis of unintentional overdoses. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved.

Previously, Dr. Little worked for 22 years as a Senior Vice President for a large FQHC network in New York overseeing over 300 behavioral health and community staff and worked for New York City Health and Hospitals as a citywide family violence coordinator. She has a Doctoral degree in Psychology, a Masters in Social Work, a Masters in Business Administration and Healthcare, is a Certified Care Manager (CCM) and a recognized Substance Abuse Professional (SAP).

More Resources on Suicide Safer Care

Using the Zero Suicide framework as a foundation and with the generous support of the Centene Corporation, the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved created the Suicide Safer Care curriculum to train primary care providers and their teams on skills for suicide risk assessment, evidence-based interventions, referral and transition when needed, and changing the culture of addressing suicide risk across clinical practice. Learn more about the curriculum and useful resources for primary care providers, including pediatric, geriatric, and adult suicide prevention toolkits.